At least 32 people were killed and 16 others injured after an overcrowded passenger bus plunged into a ravine in south-western Pakistan.

The bus was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, when it crashed in the Dana Sar mountain range, on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, at about 08:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday.

A government official at Zhob Hospital told BBC News that a total of 48 people, including a number of women and children, had been on board when the accident happened.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but preliminary reports suggest a steering fault may have led the driver to lose control before skidding off the mountain range.

Photographs from the scene showed the badly damaged bus following its plunge to the bottom of the ravine.

Officials confirmed the injured were taken to the District Headquarters hospital in Zhob, about 68km (42 miles) from the crash site.

“The bus fell approximately 70 to 80 feet [21-24m] into the ravine,” Sanaullah Sherani, the head of Zhob district’s emergency service, told AFP news agency.

Dozens of emergency responders and ambulances were deployed to the scene following the crash, but rescue and recovery efforts were hampered by the difficult terrain.

The bodies of those killed were also taken to the hospital and following identification, will be transported to their hometowns by ambulance.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for Balochistan’s chief minister, said initial information showed the bus had been overcrowded after taking on additional passengers from another bus that had broken down.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed their sorrow over the deaths.

In a post on X, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the accident, and ordered an inquiry into how it had happened.

“I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said, adding that immediate medical support was being provided to the injured.

Fatal accidents are common on Pakistan’s roads – often caused by reckless driving, bad road surfaces and poorly maintained vehicles.

In 2024, at least 17 pilgrims were killed and 40 others injured after their bus fell into a ravine while travelling to Balochistan for Eid celebrations.