Pakistan announces compensation for bus accident victims’ families

Families of the victims of a bus accident in northwest Pakistan will receive a financial assistance package, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced on Saturday.

At least 40 people, including women and children, were killed when the bus they were travelling in fell into a ravine in Dera Ismail Khan district of the province on Friday. The Peshawar-bound bus had started from Quetta in Balochistan province.

The provincial government will give Pakistani rupees (PKR) 2 million and PKR 1 million to the families of the deceased and the injured, respectively, an official statement said.

Victims from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone would be eligible for the compensation package.

Afridi also directed the relevant authorities to complete all necessary formalities without delay to ensure immediate disbursement of compensation.

Preliminary investigation suggested that the brakes of the bus failed, causing the driver to lose control while navigating a difficult bend on the mountainous terrain. The bus skidded off the road and fell into the ravine, killing 40 and injuring eight passengers.

Road accidents are common and often fatal in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of a combination of factors such as treacherous terrain, extreme weather, frequent traffic violations, poor road conditions, poor vehicle conditions and untrained drivers.