SWAT, Pakistan: A speeding truck carrying nomadic families overturned and plunged into a ravine on the Swat-Malakand Expressway on Thursday, killing at least 15 people on the spot, including women and children, police officials said.
According to motorway police, the vehicle was enroute along the mountainous expressway when the driver lost control due to overspeeding. The truck first overturned and then tumbled into a deep gorge, leaving multiple passengers dead and several others critically injured.
Noor-ul-Amin, a police officail confirmed that women and children were among the casualties, adding that the identities of the deceased and injured were yet to be determined. Bodies and the injured were recovered from the wreckage and moved to nearby medical facilities.
The tragedy follows a similar fatal crash earlier this week in northern Pakistan, when a passenger bus carrying wedding guests from Astore, Gilgit-Baltistan, to Chakwal plunged off the Thalichi Bridge into a river, killing 26 people. Only the bride, identified as Malaika, survived the accident.
Deadly road accidents are common in Pakistan, where poorly maintained roads, overspeeding, and reckless driving frequently lead to mass-casualty crashes, particularly in the country’s mountainous regions.
