At Least 14 Dead, Including Newlyweds, After Wedding Party Bus Plunges Off Bridge

What should’ve been the happiest day of a couple’s life turned into a tragedy. On Nov. 12, a bus carrying a newlywed couple and their wedding party went off a bridge and into a river in Pakistan. The accident left at least 14 people dead, multiple outlets reported.

Faizullah Faraq, a government spokesperson, told The Independent that a bus carrying 27 passengers was on its way to Chakwal when it crashed at around 1 p.m. local time. The bus fell into the river from the Telchi Bridge, per the outlet.

Authorities told Reuters that the crash occurred due to speeding, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

“Apparently, the accident was the result of the driver’s negligence,” Sher Khan of the Gilgit-Baltistan Police told local outlet Geo.

Rescue workers recovered 13 bodies from the river, The Independent reported. While the bride was initially rescued, the outlet reported that she later died at the hospital.

Twelve of the remaining 13 passengers, including the groom, are presumed dead. The presumption is made due to the river’s current and freezing cold temperature, according to the outlet. One woman survived, the outlet reported.

Astore Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Tariq told Geo that the vehicle has been recovered from the river. A search operation to recover the 11 missing people is still underway, he said.

Multiple outlets reported that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his sympathies in the wake of the crash, and asked that the recovery efforts be expedited.