Gilgit, Pakistan, Sept 22: At least 26 individuals were killed and a dozen others, including women and children, were injured in a passenger bus accident on Babusar Pass in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan early on Sunday, said spokesperson for the GB government Faizullah Firaq.
Firaq said that the deceased and injured have been shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Chilas. An emergency has been declared at the DHQ hospital.
According to Diamer police spokesperson Mohammad Wakeel, the passenger bus, belonging to a private company, had departed from Skardu yesterday night en route to Rawalpindi.
He said that early on Sunday morning the driver lost control of the bus and it collided against a mountain.
An official in the DC office of Diamer, Raja Ashfaq, said that most the of deceased and injured are from Skardu.
Ashfaq said that Rescue 1122 and police teams had been dispatched to the site of the accident. Additionally, he said that a helicopter has been requested from the GB government in order to transport the bodies to Skardu following identification. Two helicopters are expected to reach shortly.
The Babusar Pass road, frequently used by tourists, remains open from the end of June to October every year. It then remains closed following heavy snowfall at Babusar Top.
