25 dead in northwest Pakistan road accident

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – At least 25 people, including women and children, were killed when a passenger van rolled over into a ravine after a head-on collision with a car in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police and local media reported.

The accident took place in the remote Kohistan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when the ill-fated vehicles collided head-on, reportedly due to overspending, local broadcaster Dunya News reported citing local police.

The van was on its way from the northern Gilgit district to the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi.

There were no immediate details about the number of injured people as rescue workers were struggling hard to retrieve the bodies due to hilly terrain and darkness.

Fatal road accidents are common in this South Asian nuclear country, primarily because of poor traffic and safety standards.

This was the second major accident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders neighboring Afghanistan, in less than a week.

At least 18 people, including two women and three children, were killed when a passenger van collided head-on with a truck on the Indus Highway near Kohat district on Feb. 3.