© Ali Khokhar via Unsplash
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northwestern Pakistan, 17 people have died in a road accident.
A van collided at a very high speed with a bus parked along a highway on Monday. 17 people were killed and five were injured, the AFP news agency heard from police and emergency services.
The accident took place when a passenger bus traveling from Swat to Peshawar had a mechanical failure and came to a stop along the road, local media reported. The passengers exited the vehicle and were waiting near the bus when a driver of a van lost control, drove into the crowd and collided with the parked bus.
Many of the passengers were on their way home ahead of Eid, one of the most important religious festivals on the Islamic calendar.
Road accidents remain common in Pakistan due to poor enforcement of traffic regulations, speeding, poor road safety standards and reckless driving.
Illustration picture: © Ali Khokhar via Unsplash