| Washuk bus accident | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 29 May 2024 Approximately 05:00 (GMT+5) |
| Location | Washuk, Balochistan |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Cause | Exploded tire leading to a fall into a ravine |
| Statistics | |
| Passengers | 54 |
| Deaths | 29+ |
| Injured | 22+ |
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]
The 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.
Government 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]
Prime 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]
Balochistan is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the north-east, Punjab to the east and Sindh to the south-east; shares international borders with Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north; and is bound by the Arabian Sea to the south. Balochistan is an extensive plateau of rough terrain divided into basins by ranges of sufficient heights and ruggedness. It has the world's largest deep sea port, the Port of Gwadar lying in the Arabian Sea.
Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti was a Pakistani politician and the Tumandar (head) of the Bugti tribe of Baloch people who served as the Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province in Pakistan. He also became minister of state for defence in the cabinet of Feroz Khan Noon. Earlier, he had also served as the Minister of State for Interior.
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Mir Sarfraz Bugti is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Balochistan since March 2024. He belongs to the Pakistan People's Party. Prior to his current role, Bugti has served as Home and Tribal Affairs Minister of Balochistan. Bugti also served as a senator of Pakistan from March 2015 to March 2021.
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The events listed below are both anticipated and scheduled for the year 2024 in Pakistan.
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