KARACHI, Nov 12, (AFP) - Pakistani
police said Wednesday they will investigate government departments over a bus
crash that killed 57 people, blaming the poor condition of the road for the
accident.The bus smashed into a goods truck loaded with coal near the city of
Khairpur,450 kilometres (300 miles) north of Karachi, on Tuesday. There were 18
children among the dead.
District police chief
Nasir Aftab told AFP the initial investigation found the road was in poor
condition and had no warning signs to alert drivers to the danger."A first
information report (FIR) for becoming cause of death has been registered and
the concerned departments will be investigated for the bus accident,"
Aftab said.He said it was the first time a government department would be
investigated for a road accident in Pakistan.
Motorway police official
Faisal Chachar said that a 61-kilometre (38-mile) stretch of the road was in
poor condition, having developed a significant furrow in its surface.A senior
motorway police officer told AFP on Tuesday the bus driver, carrying Pashtun
families from northwestern Swat valley to Karachi, had lost control after
hitting the rut in the road.
Pakistan has an appalling
record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles
and reckless driving. Crashes killing dozens of people are not uncommon.In
April a bus smashed into a tractor-trailer in a high-speed collision in Sindh,
killing 42 people, while in March a horrific crash between two buses and a
petrol tanker left 35 dead, with many burned alive when the fuel ignited.
The mountainous areas of
Kashmir and the north, where drivers career around narrow hairpin bends over
deep ravines with scant regard for safety, are particularly prone to
accidents.Three crashes in the space of 10 days in March in Kashmir and the
northwest left a total of 46 people dead.
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