12 dead, 54 injured as bus falls into ditch in Pakistan

Islamabad, Feb 20

At least 12 passengers were killed and 54 others injured after a bus fell into a ditch in the Chakwal district of Pakistan's Punjab province, the rescue service said on Monday.

The service said that the accident took place late Sunday night on the motorway near Kallar Kahar area when the bus went off to the other side of the road due to brake failure, hit three cars coming from the opposite direction, and eventually fell off the road into a ditch, reports Xinhua news agency.

The rescue workers reached the site and shifted the victims to the hospitals, it said, adding that four of the injured passengers were in critical condition.

The passengers were returning to Lahore from Rawalpindi after attending a wedding ceremony, according to the rescue service.