34 killed as school bus overturns in Pakistan

Sep 27, 2011, 6:36 GMT

Islamabad - A school bus overturned in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, killing 34 people and injuring 65, most of them students, a government official said Tuesday.

The children from a private school were on their way back from Muree hill resort to Faisalabad city Monday when the accident took place.

'The cause of the accident was brake failure. The driver lost control and the bus overturned on a turn,' said Naseem Sadiq, district police chief in Faisalabad.

He said 30 students, two teachers, the driver and an assistant died.

'The death toll might rise as more than 21 of the injured are in critical condition,' Sadiq said.

Injured student Sangraiz told Geo television that 110 people were on a bus which had a capacity of 70.

Parents and relatives of the victims gathered outside the school, demanding an inquiry into the accident.

'I saw off my child with prayers that God keeps him safe but how could I imagine that my child would return home in this state?' said a mother who received the mangled body of her son.

The district government announced a day-off to mourn the dead.