Twenty-one killed as a bus plunges into ravine

At least 21 people died and seven injured when a minibus they were travelling in plunged into a deep ravine in northwestern Pakistan.

At least 21 people died and seven injured when a minibus they were travelling in plunged into a deep ravine in northwestern Pakistan, police said on Monday.

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The driver of the speeding bus lost control while overtaking another vehicle on a sharp bend near the hill resort of Khaira Gali late on Sunday and the bus fell into a 750-feet (225-metre) deep ravine, local police officer Tauqir Ahmed told media.

Police and hundreds of villagers joined the rescue operation to retrieve the dead and injured from the ravine, he said.

The driver was among the 21 people killed in the crash, he said adding that the victims were returning from a nearby Muslim shrine.

Pakistan has the world's third highest death rate from road accidents, blamed on poor roads and reckless driving.