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Washuk bus accident
In the early morning of 29 May 2024, a bus carrying 54 passengers fell off a mountainous road and into a ravine in Washuk in the Pakistani province of Balochistan,[1] resulting in at least 29 deaths[2] and eight to ten critical injuries.[1] BackgroundThe mountainous terrain across many areas of Pakistan including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[1] have hazardous road conditions due to the presence of narrow and steep roads,[3] frequent heavy rainfall, landslides, and lack of road infrastructure funding, which road contribute to frequent lethal road accidents. Among these include the 2023 Lasbela bus crash and the Kallar Kahar school bus accident, both of which were mass casualty events caused by a bus falling into a ravine while traveling mountainous roads. The bus began its route in Turbat in Southern Balochistan, traveling to its capital in Quetta.[1] 48 people were on board. AccidentGovernment official Ismail Mengal reported that the bus driver lost control of the bus in a mountainous section of the route after one of its tires exploded.[4] This caused the bus to crash into a hill before falling and sinking into a ravine. Due to the remoteness and the lack of mobile service in the region of the accident, it took longer for information about the accident to reach officials.[5] Six people died at the scene of the accident and twenty-two more in the Basima Civil Hospital.[6] Nine casualties were critically injured and were moved to the Combined Military Hospital in Khuzdar, while seventeen were taken to hospitals in Washuk for treatment. The Pakistan Army airlifted four critically injured passengers to a trauma unit in Quetta. Three women and three children are among the dead.[7] ReactionsPrime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti made statements expressing their sorrow for the accident and their sympathies towards the families of victims.[1] Sarfraz Bugti wished the injured a quick recovery and asserted that they be treated with the best medical facilities.[6] National Party President Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch urged that more two-way roads needed to be constructed in Balochistan to prevent further road accidents, and also expressed his condolences for the families of victims.[6] See also
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