14 killed, 8 injured in road mishap in Pakistan's Balochistan province

A van carrying passengers collided with a truck in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Monday, killing fourteen people, including five children, and injuring eight others, police said. "Both the vehicles were over-speeding and the drivers lost control over them and they collided," senior police official Murad Jamali said.

The incident happened at Alikhail area of Qila Abdullah district in Balochistan province. The van was en route to Zhob from Quetta "As many as 14 people died in the accident," Jamali said, adding that those killed included five children and a woman. Five members of a family are also among in the deceased, he said. The eight injured have been shifted to the civil hospital in Quetta, he said.

Police have cordoned off the area and further investigation into the matter was underway. Road accidents are common in the province. Most of the mishaps are caused due to reckless driving and bad roads. Earlier in April, 12 people were killed and 17 others injured when a passenger bus collided with an oil tanker in Dasht area of Mastung district in Balochistan province.

(With inputs from agencies.)