Babusar Pass bus crash kills 27, including 10 Pak Army soldiers

DIAMER: At least 27 people, including 10 Pakistan Army soldiers, were killed and more than 15 wounded Sunday when a passenger bus rammed into a mountain in Babusar Pass as it lost control on the road.

According to police, the passenger bus was travelling from Skardu to Rawalpindi when it crashed into a mountain while making turn at Naran's Gati Das area, killing dozens and injuring several aboard.

Police initially had confirmed that 26 people were killed in the accident but the death toll rose to 27 after a critically-wounded person succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Balakot.

Rescue teams were having difficulty in reaching the difficult-to-access area, which is why a helicopter was dispatched to shift the wounded to the CMH Gilgit hospital, where an emergency has been declared.

Among the injured were women and eight children as well. Those who were identified included Wajid Ali, Majid Ali, Abdul Rasheed, Jawad, Haseena, Zeeshan, Yasmeen, Muhammad Ali, Fida Hussain, Imran, and Usman.

Speaking to Geo News, Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed that 12 of the 15 passengers were in critical condition and that most of the people in the accident hailed from Skardu and other Baltistan districts.

Separately, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan Army troops undertook the rescue and relief operation for the unfortunate bus accident at Babusar Top.

"Pakistan Army aviation helicopters have evacuated injured to CMH Gilgit for medical treatment," the ISPR said. The bodies, including those of the 10 soldiers who lost their lives, were also shifted to CMH Gilgit, the media's military wing added.