At least 24 people, including women and children, were drowned when a bridge collapsed and a bus they were travelling in plunged into a ditch in Pakistan's northwest, police said.
The incident occurred on Friday when the bus, carrying 35 passengers, was going to Kandia from Bagru of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
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"All 24 people belonging to the same tribe drowned when a bridge collapsed and the bus they were travelling in plunged into a stream," Ahsanul Haq, the chief civil defence warden said.
The incident happened because the bridge, which was in a dilapidated condition, could not bear burden of the heavily loaded bus, Haq said.
District police chief of Upper Kohistan Raja Abdul Saboor said: "The police and rescue teams rushed to the spot to retrieve the bodies."
"It is a rugged mountainous area with no communication facilities and the people engaged in rescue activities are facing difficulties because of darkness."