26 killed, 19 injured in Pakistan bus crash

At least 26 people were killed and 19 others injured when a passenger bus crashed into a hill in northern Pakistan on Sunday, a local police officer said.

Brakes of the bus carrying 45 passengers failed while negotiating a turn at a mountain pass, Muhammad Irfan Khokhar said, adding that some people were traveling to their work places in east Punjab province.

"The accident was so serious that 22 people died right at the spot while four others succumbed to injuries later at hospital, and most of the injured are also in critical condition," Khokhar said.

Sources said the bus was already exceeding the safety speed limits, and the failure of brakes made the situation even worse.

The bus left Skardu in the wee hours of Sunday morning for Punjab's Rawalpindi and the accident happened at 9:30 a.m. local time, the sources said, adding that most of the injured belonged to Skardu.