9 killed as coach plunges into ravine in SW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A passenger coach has plunged into a deep ravine on a coastal highway in Pakistan's Southwest Uthal city of Lasbela district on Saturday, claiming nine lives while injuring 11 others, a government official said.

The accident happened due to some technical fault in the coach which was heading to the country's southern port city of Karachi from Pasni coastal area of southwest Balochistan province, Lasbela Deputy Commissioner Shabbir Mengal told Xinhua.

Pakistan Coast Guards' personnel launched a rescue operation immediately after the accident and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

The condition of most of the wounded is reported to be critical, said the official, adding that women and children are among the victims of the unfortunate accident.

Earlier on Thursday, at least three people were killed while 24 others injured after a speeding van collided with a truck due to the driver's negligence in the same area of the province.

According to official data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, around 9,000 road accidents are reported every year since 2011, killing more than 4,500 people on average annually.

Traffic police said that 90 percent of the accidents in Pakistan are caused merely by human error.