Pakistan: 22 die as van crash off narrow mountain pass

At least 22 people have been killed in a passenger van crash in the Baluchistan province in southwest Pakistan, with women and children believed to be among the dead.

What we know about the crash

According to a government official, a van veered off of a narrow mountain pass in the district of Qilla Saifullah before plummeting into a ravine.

"The driver was speeding and broke through a protective wall at a bend in the road, falling hundreds of feet into the ravine," said Mohammad Qasim, a deputy district administrator.

Qasim said the sole survivor — a 13-year-old boy — was taken to a hospital in a critical condition while rescuers were still trying to transport the deceased to a nearby medical facility.

A tweet from the Pakistan People's Party said that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardawi "expresses grief over the loss of precious lives, expresses sympathy to affected families."

Thousands of road accidents annually reported in Pakistan

Fatal crashes are a regular occurrence in Pakistan, with poorly maintained infrastructure and vehicles along with disregard for road rules among the leading causes.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, there are around 9,000 road accidents reported every year, killing around 4,000 people.