QUETTA: At least 22 people were killed and a 13-year old child injured on Wednesday when a passenger van fell into a deep ravine in Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Qasim Kakar confirmed.

Talking to APP, DC Kakar said that the ill-fated passenger van was on way to Zhob from Loralai district when it fell into a deep ravine at Akhtar Zai Adola, a hilltop near Zhob district.

“The road mishap killed 16 people on the spot and six others succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital,” he said, adding that a critically injured child has been shifted to Quetta for further treatment.

“Besides 10 men, five women and five children were among 22 ill-fated passengers who died in the road mishap,” DC said. Due to the remoteness of the area, the administration faced severe difficulties in the rescue operation; however, the local administration tried its best to complete the rescue operation successfully.

Emergency has been imposed in the hospitals of Qilla Saifullah, and teams from Quetta have also been called in for the rescue operation. DC Kakar said that almost all bodies have been brought to district headquarter hospital from where it will be shifted to their native town.

“The district administration will provide free transport as a help line has been established at Qilla Saifullah DHQ hospital for the relatives of the deceased,” he maintained.