LASBELA: The death toll from the heinous bus tragedy in Lasbela has grown to 39, with the bodies found from the ill-fated bus, which careened into a ravine at Chinki stop in Bela section of Lasbela district this morning.
Aside from the fatalities, at least four persons were rescued from the bus alive but hurt.
In the early hours of Sunday, a passenger bus carrying at least 48 people slid into a ravine and caught fire on its trip from Quetta to Karachi.
Bela Assistant Commissioner Hamza Anjum Nadeem confirmed the number of passengers on board as well as number of casualties, stating that the bodies recovered from the destroyed bus are unidentified. He stated that DNA testing would be performed to identify the deceased, while the injured passengers were being sent to Civil Hospital, Lasbela.
According to the official, the rescue operation is still ongoing and will be concluded within an hour. Previously, Nadeem stated that the rescue crews encountered difficulties because it was still dark in the morning due to the chilly weather.
Meanwhile, authorities stated that the tragedy occurred owing to speeding when the bus became uncontrollable and careened down the ravine. They stated that teams from the fire department, rescue services, and law enforcement authorities arrived at the scene of the collision and began a rescue effort.
They stated that efforts were being made to totally extinguish the fire.