Uthal accident: 12 killed, over 20 injured as coach and minibus collide head-on on the Quetta-Karachi highway

At least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured on Friday when a passenger coach and a minibus collided head-on near Zero Point, Uthal, on the Quetta-Karachi highway (N-25) in Balochistan's Lasbela district. Police said seven people died at the scene and five more in hospital, Dawn reported.

The coach was travelling from Gwadar to Karachi. The smaller vehicle, a minibus or van, was carrying passengers between Bela and Karachi. Police told Aaj News that the speeding coach hit the oncoming van, Business Recorder reported. Most of the dead and injured were in the smaller vehicle, and the dead included five women and seven men.

Injured moved to Karachi

Abdul Hakeem Lasi, who runs the Edhi centre in Bela, said Edhi volunteers took about 22 injured passengers to hospital, from where they were moved to Karachi for treatment. Seven were in serious condition. Women and children were among the injured. Police and Levies reached the site, and officials said traffic on the highway was moving again by Friday afternoon.

The second deadly bus crash in three days

The Uthal crash came two days after 10 people were killed and 44 injured when a passenger bus hit a road divider and overturned on the Indus Highway in Rojhan, Rajanpur district, on Wednesday 21 October. The Quetta-Karachi highway through Lasbela and Khuzdar has seen a run of fatal crashes this year: a coach and an LPG bowser collided near Winder in September, killing two, and accidents near Wadh and Khuzdar killed nine people in January and February, according to Dawn's records.

If you travel on the N-25

• Before you board: ask the operator whether a relief driver is on board for the long Gwadar or Quetta to Karachi run.
• On the road: passengers can ask a driver to slow down, and can report a speeding coach to the highway police on 130.
• In an emergency: Edhi's ambulance service is on 115 and Rescue 1122 operates in parts of Balochistan.

Driving the route yourself? Our fuel cost calculator works out what a Karachi to Gwadar or Quetta trip costs at today's petrol price.