At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured when a passenger bus collided with a passenger van near Zero Point in Uthal, Lasbela district of Balochistan, on Friday, police said. The bus was travelling from Lasbela to Karachi when the two vehicles collided, causing heavy casualties.

Uthal District Headquarters Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Awais Wajid said women and children were among the dead and injured, and that the injured had been shifted to Karachi for further treatment. Police, rescue teams, district administration officials and local residents rushed to the scene, and the injured were initially taken to nearby hospitals by ambulance before being referred to Karachi.

Investigation under way

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collision, and traffic on the national highway was disrupted following the accident, with police working to restore the flow of vehicles. Arrangements for the treatment of the injured and the handover of the bodies to their families were under way, according to the report.

Balochistan has witnessed several fatal road accidents in recent months. On 19 October, four people, including women and children, were killed when a Mazda truck collided with an Alto car near Darbi in Bolan district. On 13 October, four people were killed and five injured when a passenger van travelling from Quetta to Kalat collided with a truck near Badrang in Mastung district. In July, at least 40 passengers were killed when a coach travelling from Quetta to Peshawar plunged into a ravine in the Dana Sar area along the Sherani-Zhob highway.

Why these crashes keep happening

Deadly crashes on intercity routes in Balochistan are driven by a familiar combination: long distances, driver fatigue, speeding and poorly maintained vehicles, on roads where enforcement is thin. Passengers in vans and buses are especially vulnerable, because many vehicles lack seatbelts. For families affected by the Uthal crash, the immediate questions are practical: which Karachi hospital the injured were taken to, and when bodies will be released. Those details were not in the first report, and relatives should contact local police or rescue services directly rather than relying on social media rumours. Source: South Punjab News, citing police.