7 dead, 19 injured in Quetta bus accident: officials

Seven people were killed and 19 people were injured when a bus fell into a ravine near Quetta’s Brewery Roads Bypass area on Thursday, according to officials.
A statement from health department spokesperson Dr Waseem Baig said that seven people were killed and 19 were injured in the accident. It added that three children and a woman were among the dead.
Saddar Superintendent of Police (SP) Shaukat Mohmand told Dawn.com that the vehicle, carrying people from a wedding, was travelling from Khilji Colony Bypass towards Baleli when the incident occurred. “One of the tyres burst, causing the bus to fall into a ravine near Brewery Roads Bypass,” he said.
The SP added that the bodies and injured were moved to Bolan Medical Complex after administering first aid at the scene.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed grief over the bus accident and said that the “loss of precious human lives in the tragic accident is a cause of grief and sadness”.
In a statement from his office, CM Bugti ordered an investigation into the accident and said officials would be held accountable if there was evidence of negligence.
Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said in a statement that medical aid was being provided to the injured. The statement added that provincial health minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar imposed a state of emergency in hospitals.
Rind said that the best medical treatment was being provided to the injured, while those with serious injuries were taken to Combined Military Hospital Quetta.
Former MPA Bushra Rind also extended her condolences over the “tragic accident”.
“The government has taken steps for the injured people,” she added.