At least 23 people have lost their lives and 40 others were injured after a passenger bus lost control, and crashed in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan province, local media reported.

“The bus turned turtle because of over-speeding”, Major (R) Bashir Ahmed Bareech, Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar said. The bus jam-packed with pilgrims and some of them were also on the roof of the bus at the time of the incident.

Balochistan Levies officials have begun the rescue operation.

The deceased and injured are being shifted to Teaching Hospital Khuzdar. The condition of some of the injured is said to be critical.

The deputy commissioner told Dawn that 15 of the victims died on the spot, while three others succumbed to injuries during treatment at the hospital.

"There is not a single passenger who does not have an injury because of the bus accident,” Ahmed told the Associated Press.

The accident comes less than a week after a fatal train crash in Sindh province, which killed at least 60 people and over 100 others were injured.

Road and train accidents are common in Pakistan, where decades of under-investment in infrastructure has resulted in the transport sector facing poor conditions.

This is a developing story, and will be updated accordingly