13 including 9 Chinese nationals killed in bus accident at Upper Kohistan
At least 12 people including nine Chinese nationals were killed in Upper Kohistan when a bus carrying them met an unfortunate accident, the Foreign Office said Wednesday.
A bus of the Chinese construction company China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), carrying 41 persons including 36 Chinese, 2 FC personnel and 3 other Pakistanis, met an accident Wednesday morning on the way to construction site of Dasu Hydropower Project from the contractor’s camp, at Upper Kohistan.
9 Chinese, 2 FC personnel and 2 other Pakistanis died, while 28 were injured as a result of the accident.
The rescue operation was immediately started by Dasu Hydropower Project authorities and the district administration, a press release from Dasu Hydropower project management revealed.
WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) himself monitored the relief and rescue operation at the site, the press release said.
The injured have been airlifted by Pakistan Army helicopters to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Gilgit despite harsh weather conditions in the area, while bodies are being shifted to Islamabad.
WAPDA Chairman expressed gratitude to Pakistan Army for the prompt support in the relief and rescue operation. Meanwhile, district administration, Upper Kohistan and the law enforcement agencies have started their probe to ascertain cause of the accident.
According to the Foreign Ministry, bus plunged into a ravine “after a mechanical failure, resulting in leakage of gas that caused a blast”.
“Further investigations are underway,” read the foreign affairs ministry’s statement.
