24 killed in Pak accident after bus falls into ditch

Peshawar: At least 24 people, including women and children, were drowned when a bridge collapsed and a bus they were travelling in plunged into a ditch in Pakistan's northwest, police said.

The incident occurred on Friday when the bus, carrying 35 passengers, was going to Kandia from Bagru of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"All 24 people belonging to the same tribe drowned when a bridge collapsed and the bus they were travelling in plunged into a stream," Ahsanul Haq, the chief civil defence warden said.

The incident happened because the bridge, which was in a dilapidated condition, could not bear burden of the heavily loaded bus, Haq said.

District police chief of Upper Kohistan Raja Abdul Saboor said: "The police and rescue teams rushed to the spot to retrieve the bodies."

"It is a rugged mountainous area with no communication facilities and the people engaged in rescue activities are facing difficulties because of darkness."