Bus crash kills 23 wedding guests in Pakistan – police

Pakistani youths, who were injured in a bus accident, are comforted by a relative, while laying in a bed in Benazir Bhutto hospital, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, June 4, 2012. At least 23 members of a wedding party died early Monday when their bus fell into a deep ravine, in the Pakistani town of Kahuta near Rawalpindi, police said. AP/MUHAMMED MUHEISEN

ISLAMABAD – At least 23 Pakistani wedding guests, including six children, were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine near the capital Islamabad, police said Monday.

Sixty people were injured when the driver lost control of the vehicle late Sunday at a sharp bend near Narr village, around 25 kilometers (17 miles) east of Islamabad.

The bus was carrying 97 people to Chakwal district, 100 kilometers south of the capital, after a wedding. The bus was accompanying the bride and groom, who were travelling in a separate vehicle.

“At least 23 people, including six children and as many women, were killed and 60 others injured when a bus fell into a ravine,” police official Jawad Tariq told AFP.

The accident happened at 10:30 pm (1730 GMT) on Sunday. The driver lost control at a sharp bend in the road, Tariq said.

Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.