Pakistan accident: 40 dead in bus plunge, survivor alleges onboard fight led to ravine crash
One survivor, speaking to local media from a hospital bed, said tensions rose among passengers after the driver agreed to take on the stranded travellers, all of whom were also heading toward Peshawar.
At least 40 people were killed and eight others injured on Friday when an overloaded bus travelling from Quetta to Peshawar teetered off the Zhob-Sherani Highway and slipped into a rocky valley in southwestern Pakistan.
At least 40 killed after bus plunges into ravine in western Pakistan https://t.co/L8kB6oYdDq pic.twitter.com/wAgWCZLTk8
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 3, 2026
Officials are calling this one of the deadliest road disasters the country has seen in years.
The crash happened early in the morning near Dana Sar, a remote area on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government, said the bus lost control and plunged into a ravine, news agency Associated Press reported.
Rind explained that the vehicle had already been full of its own passengers when it stopped to pick up riders from a second bus that had broken down nearby. That decision left the bus significantly overcrowded at the time of the crash. Rescue crews have since been working to identify the victims.
One survivor, speaking to local media from a hospital bed, said tensions rose among passengers after the driver agreed to take on the stranded travellers, all of whom were also heading toward Peshawar. That tension reportedly escalated into a physical altercation, with one passenger allegedly grabbing the driver by the neck, shortly after which the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Authorities have cautioned that this version of events has not been independently confirmed, and police say the investigation into the cause of the crash is still underway.
Hazrat Wali Kakar, a regional government administrator, said emergency crews transported both the injured and the deceased to nearby medical facilities. Rescue officials reported that the bus was carrying 48 passengers in total at the time of the crash. The eight survivors were provided first aid and later moved to the district headquarters hospital in Zhob, while the bodies of the 40 victims were taken to a separate district hospital.
Shah Fahad, who heads rescue emergency services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said his agency joined forces with Balochistan’s emergency responders for the recovery effort. He added that any victims confirmed to be from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have their remains transported home by ambulance to support their grieving families.
صدرِ مملکت آصف علی زرداری کا ژوب۔شیرانی شاہراہ پر مسافر بس حادثے پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار۔
صدرِ مملکت کی حادثے میں جاں بحق ہونے والوں کے لیے دعائے مغفرت، لواحقین سے دلی ہمدردی اور تعزیت کا اظہار۔
صدرِ مملکت کی زخمیوں کی جلد اور مکمل صحت یابی کے لیے دعا۔
صدرِ مملکت کی…
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) July 3, 2026
President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement on X mourning the loss of life, extending condolences to victims’ families, and wishing a swift recovery to the injured. He instructed relevant authorities to guarantee the best possible medical treatment for survivors.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti echoed similar sentiments in a separate statement, also directing officials to ensure injured passengers receive proper care.
This tragedy is a follow-up to a similar incident in May. A minibus collided with a parked bus on a motorway in northwest Pakistan, resulting in 17 deaths and five injuries.
Road safety experts and officials have long pointed to a combination of factors driving Pakistan’s high rate of traffic fatalities: deteriorating road infrastructure, weak enforcement of traffic regulations, and risky driving habits, which become especially dangerous in the country’s mountainous terrain.
(With inputs from AP)
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At least 40 people were killed and eight others injured on Friday when an overloaded bus travelling from Quetta to Peshawar teetered off the Zhob-Sherani Highway and slipped into a rocky valley in southwestern Pakistan.
At least 40 killed after bus plunges into ravine in western Pakistan https://t.co/L8kB6oYdDq pic.twitter.com/wAgWCZLTk8
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 3, 2026
Officials are calling this one of the deadliest road disasters the country has seen in years.
The crash happened early in the morning near Dana Sar, a remote area on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government, said the bus lost control and plunged into a ravine, news agency Associated Press reported.
Rind explained that the vehicle had already been full of its own passengers when it stopped to pick up riders from a second bus that had broken down nearby. That decision left the bus significantly overcrowded at the time of the crash. Rescue crews have since been working to identify the victims.
One survivor, speaking to local media from a hospital bed, said tensions rose among passengers after the driver agreed to take on the stranded travellers, all of whom were also heading toward Peshawar. That tension reportedly escalated into a physical altercation, with one passenger allegedly grabbing the driver by the neck, shortly after which the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Authorities have cautioned that this version of events has not been independently confirmed, and police say the investigation into the cause of the crash is still underway.
Hazrat Wali Kakar, a regional government administrator, said emergency crews transported both the injured and the deceased to nearby medical facilities. Rescue officials reported that the bus was carrying 48 passengers in total at the time of the crash. The eight survivors were provided first aid and later moved to the district headquarters hospital in Zhob, while the bodies of the 40 victims were taken to a separate district hospital.
Shah Fahad, who heads rescue emergency services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said his agency joined forces with Balochistan’s emergency responders for the recovery effort. He added that any victims confirmed to be from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have their remains transported home by ambulance to support their grieving families.
صدرِ مملکت آصف علی زرداری کا ژوب۔شیرانی شاہراہ پر مسافر بس حادثے پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار۔
صدرِ مملکت کی حادثے میں جاں بحق ہونے والوں کے لیے دعائے مغفرت، لواحقین سے دلی ہمدردی اور تعزیت کا اظہار۔
صدرِ مملکت کی زخمیوں کی جلد اور مکمل صحت یابی کے لیے دعا۔
صدرِ مملکت کی…
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) July 3, 2026
President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement on X mourning the loss of life, extending condolences to victims’ families, and wishing a swift recovery to the injured. He instructed relevant authorities to guarantee the best possible medical treatment for survivors.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti echoed similar sentiments in a separate statement, also directing officials to ensure injured passengers receive proper care.
This tragedy is a follow-up to a similar incident in May. A minibus collided with a parked bus on a motorway in northwest Pakistan, resulting in 17 deaths and five injuries.
Road safety experts and officials have long pointed to a combination of factors driving Pakistan’s high rate of traffic fatalities: deteriorating road infrastructure, weak enforcement of traffic regulations, and risky driving habits, which become especially dangerous in the country’s mountainous terrain.
(With inputs from AP)
