2023 Lasbela bus crash

{{Infobox public transit accident

| name = 2023 Lasbela bus crash

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| pushpin_map = Pakistan

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| coordinates = {{coord|26.1973|66.3049|format=dms|display=it}}

| date = 29 January 2023

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| location = Bela Tehsil, Lasbela District, Balochistan

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| country = Pakistan

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| type = Bus crash

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| vehicles = 1

| passengers = 43

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| deaths = 41

| injuries = 2

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On 29 January 2023, a bus carrying at least 43 people plunged into a ravine and caught fire in Bela Tehsil, Lasbela District, Balochistan, Pakistan. The crash initially killed 40 people and injured three,{{Cite news |date=January 29, 2023 |title=41 killed, three injured in deadly Lasbela bus crash |work=The News International |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1035403-bus-accident-in-lasbela-kills-39-injures-four |access-date=29 January 2023}} one of whom died shortly after. The two remaining survivors were in a "serious" condition.{{Cite news |date=29 January 2023 |title=More than 50 die in two Pakistan accidents |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64444058 |access-date=30 January 2023}}

Crash

The bus was en route to Karachi from Quetta when it crashed into a pillar of a bridge which led to its fall, according to Lasbela's assistant commissioner Hamza Anjum.{{cite web |title=Local media: Bus crash in southern Pakistan kills 41 |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/01/29/local-media-bus-crash-in-southern-pakistan-kills-41/52446 |website=malaymail.com |date=29 January 2023 |publisher=Malay Mail |access-date=30 January 2023}} Head of the local rescue service Asghar Ramazan told Agence France-Presse that the bus was "loaded with containers of oil."{{Cite news |date=30 January 2023 |title=Over 50 perish in twin transport tragedies |work=The News International |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1035533-over-50-perish-in-twin-transport-tragedies|access-date=30 January 2023}}

Most of the bodies of the dead were burned beyond recognition, and were taken to Karachi where DNA testing would be used to establish their identities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/467799-casualties-feared-as-bus-crashes-in-lasbela|title=At least 41 burned alive in ghastly bus accident in Lasbela|website=www.geo.tv}}{{Cite news |date=29 January 2023 |title=40 dead after bus crashes and catches fire in Pakistan |work=Irish Examiner |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41059358.html |access-date=30 January 2023}}

Aftermath

The chairman of the Pakistan People's Party and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the entire country was saddened and that he sends his condolences. He said an investigation into the crash will be carried out.{{cite web |title=Bilawal grieves over loss of lives in Lasbela bus crash |date=29 January 2023 |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/29-Jan-2023/bilawal-grieves-over-loss-of-lives-in-lasbela-bus-crash |publisher=The Nation |access-date=30 January 2023}}

Investigation

Lasbela Deputy Commissioner Murad Kasi said the cause of the accident was speeding, with the driver losing control of the vehicle while making a U-turn. There were unconfirmed reports that the bus was transporting smuggled Iranian oil. The All Quetta-Karachi Coaches Union blamed the crash on slippery roads and a short circuit in the bus' wiring.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1734342|title=Over 50 dead in Bela, Kohat transport tragedies|first=Saleem Shahid | Abdul Wahid Shawani | Abdul Sami|last=Paracha|date=January 30, 2023|website=DAWN.COM}}