At least 20 people, including 11 kids, have been killed after a minibus crashed into a 25 feet deep ditch in monsoon-hit southern Sindh province, Pakistan.
The accident took place late Thursday night in the Sehwan region of the southern Sindh province, local police official Khadim Hussain told AFP news agency on Saturday.
Among the deceased include 11 children aged between two and eight years, while 14 people have been injured, with two of them in critical condition,
“The bus fell into a water-filled ditch on a road swept away by floods this summer,” Hussain was quoted as saying.
“The driver could not see the diversion sign on the road and so the van plunged into a 25 feet deep ditch,” he added.
According to reports, the road needed repair work and several places were drenched in floodwater.
The Associated Press news agency reported quoting police officer Imran Qureshi that the bus was bringing passengers from Khairpur district to a famous Sufi shrine in Sehwan.
Monsoon-triggered floods have wreaked havoc in Pakistan this year, submerging a third of the country. More than 1,700 people have been killed and millions displaced as the rains continued to lash several parts of the country.
Southern Sindh province has been the worst affected, with more than 33 million people displaced since mid-June and about two million homes damaged or washed away.
Pakistan is notorious for poor road safety records and has recorded a high rate of road deaths, which has been blamed on decrepit highways and reckless driving.
(With inputs from agencies)
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