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Bus rams into mountain in Pakistan, killing dozens

By Allen Cone
People stand beside the wreckage of a passenger bus at the scene of its accident in the semiautonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan on Sunday. Photo by Meraj Alam/EPA-EFE
People stand beside the wreckage of a passenger bus at the scene of its accident in the semiautonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan on Sunday. Photo by Meraj Alam/EPA-EFE

Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A bus rammed into a mountain in Babusar Pass in Pakistan on Sunday, killing dozens.

At least 26 people have been killed and 12 injured, RadioFreeEurope/Radio Liberty reported, citing Muhammad Wakeel, a police spokesman in the town of Diamer in the semiautonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region.

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Indian Blooms News Service reported the death toll at 27, including 10 Pakistan Army officials, and 15 injured.

The bus was travelling from Skardu to Rawalpindi when it crashed into a mountain while making a turn.

Wakeel said the bus driver had lost control of the vehicle.

A local journalist, Sher Ghazi, said some officials cited brakes or the driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

Gilgit-Baltistan includes narrow roads only open for traffic between May and October because they are blocked by heavy snowfall during the winter.

In July, nearly three dozen people were killed in Kashmir's Kishtwar district when a bus crashed into a gorge. It is a region administered by India north of Pakistan.

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