At least 14 Pakistanis returning from a wedding died Tuesday evening after their bus fell into a river in the mountainous north, while the bride is “out of danger” according to emergency services who are still looking for the missing.
“The bus was carrying 25 passengers. Only the bride survived the accident. So far, 14 bodies have been found and 10 people are still missing,” Wazir Asad Ali, one of those responsible for the ongoing rescue operation, told AFP on Wednesday.
The passengers, the bride and groom and their families, were heading back to Punjab, hundreds of kilometers further south, after the ceremony when the accident occurred.
“The bride is out of danger and has been taken care of in a hospital” in the province, he added.
The accident “probably occurred due to speeding,” said Naik Alam, a senior local police official. “The driver then lost control of his vehicle on a bend.” The accident reportedly took place along the Thalichi Bridge.
Driving fatalities are particularly high in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, particularly in mountainous regions, between poor road conditions, lax regulations and dangerous driving.
The coaches there are often filled to the limit of their capacities and wearing a seat belt is not a widespread reflex. Road accidents involving a single vehicle are common.
In August, two bus accidents had already left 36 dead in the north of the country.
