A wedding, the most beautiful day in a couple’s life, has become a huge tragedy for the families of the couple in Pakistan. There, At least 27 people drowned and another was injured last night after a bus carrying the bride and groom and guests of a wedding fell into the Indus River, in the north of the country, official sources informed Efe this Wednesday.
The incident took place at 00:30 local time (19:30 GMT on Tuesday) when the vehicle was traveling from the region of Gilgit in Baltistan towards a town in the province of Paquitaní Punjab.
“While taking a curve on the bridge, the bus fell into the Indus River due to excessive speed,” said a spokesman for the Punjab provincial government on Wednesday. Faizullah Faraq.
The bus was carrying 28 people, including a newly married couple and a group of guests from the same wedding. The bride was the only survivor.
“As a result, 27 people, including the bus driver, drowned. Only the bride, who is now out of danger, was rescued alive,” Faraq added.
According to the spokesperson, eighteen bodies have so far been recovered during the rescue operation, which is still active to find the remaining bodies and will be expanded to other areas along the river, since the bodies could have moved away due to the flow of water. “The search for the nine remaining bodies presumed dead resumed this morning,” he said.
The Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardariexpressed his condolences for the incident and ordered rescue teams to expedite the necessary efforts to find the missing passengers, according to a statement made public by his office on Tuesday.
Pakistan has one of the highest traffic accident rates in the world due to the poor condition of its roads, the deficiencies of vehicles and the fact that public transport is often overloaded with passengers.
At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured in two bus accidents in August this year.
Meanwhile, in May, another 24 people died and 20 others were injured when a passenger bus fell into a deep ditch in the mountainous area of the district of Washukin the southwest of the province of Balochistan.
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