Rescue officials say least 34 people have killed in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan today Sunday, including 12 pilgrims who had been trying to reach Iran.
At least 22 people were killed when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a ravine near the town of Azad Pattan on the border between Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
In a separate incident, 12 men died when their bus crashed into a ravine on the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan, after being prevented from crossing into Iran.
The accident occurred in a mountainous area, around 100 kilometres from the nearest town and 500 kilometres from the Iran border town of Pishin.
Road accidents with high fatalities are common in Pakistan, where safety measures are lax, driver training is poor and transport infrastructure often dilapidated.
