Overview
- Rescue teams recovered 40 bodies and treated eight injured after a passenger coach veered off the Sherani–Zhob highway and fell into a 20–80 foot ravine on Friday.
- Officials say the bus was overloaded after taking on passengers from a broken-down vehicle, with emergency services reporting about 48 people aboard though earlier counts cited 36.
- Preliminary lines of inquiry cite possible brake failure, a steering fault or speeding as causes while a survivor’s claim of a passenger grabbing the driver remains unverified and under investigation.
- Remote, mountainous terrain slowed recovery efforts and prompted a joint response from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rescue teams; the injured were taken to Zhob hospitals and some referred for further care.
- Road safety experts note this crash echoes recurring deadly bus accidents in Pakistan and the formal probe could trigger tighter enforcement, stricter vehicle checks and policy changes on overcrowding.