At least 40 people lost their lives and eight others were injured when a passenger bus travelling towards Peshawar fell into a deep ravine near the border area between Balochistan’s Sherani district and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Friday.According to initial reports from officials, the accident occurred soon after the bus left the Dhanasar area and crossed into KP territory.Rescue and emergency teams from both provinces were immediately dispatched to the site following directives from the Balochistan chief minister.

Authorities stated that rescue operations were complicated due to the difficult terrain, but teams from Rescue 1122, local administration, and emergency services managed to reach the location and begin recovery efforts.

The injured passengers were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Zhob for medical treatment, while the bodies were first taken to a nearby rural health centre before being moved to the DHQ hospital in Zhob.There were conflicting reports regarding the number of passengers on board.

A district official indicated that the bus initially left Quetta with 36 passengers, but additional passengers boarded from another broken-down bus along the route.Meanwhile, KP Rescue 1122 suggested that around 48 passengers were on board at the time of the crash.Officials have confirmed that an investigation will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the accident and to verify the number of passengers.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed deep sorrow over the incident, offering condolences to the families of the deceased and directing authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.The tragedy adds to a series of recent road accidents in mountainous regions of Pakistan, raising concerns over road safety and transport conditions.