Bus accident in Pakistani town: 7 dead, 32 wounded

A bus carrying 39 passengers was struck by a landslide apparently loosened by this week's rains in northwestern Pakistan, killing seven people and injuring 19 others, officials said Friday. The accident happened late Thursday on a mountainous road in Kohistan, a town about 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, said Zarin Khan, an area police official.

He said the Pakistan army transported the dead and injured to various hospitals by helicopter. Khan said out of the 32 rescued passengers, 19 were injured and others were fine.

Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, spokesman for the military, said their engineers were also working to clear the road that had been blocked by the landslide Thursday night. Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan. Many are blamed on drivers' widespread disregard for traffic regulations, reports the AP. I.L.