The owners of a van that plunged off a bridge killing at least 41 passengers on the highway of Bela, Lasbela on Sunday, had been warned of technical faults before the crash, it emerged on Monday.

“When the driver called and informed the owners about the issue, they instructed him to carry on and said that the van would be fixed in Karachi,” an injured survivor named Saleem Ahmed was quoted as saying to the police in the FIR available with Aaj News. He added that the bus stalled multiple times and the passengers repeatedly asked the driver to stop and have it fixed.

The police registered a case against the bus owners, Zahoor and Manzoor Ahmed, at Bela police station. Deceased driver, Muhammad Saleem, is named in the FIR.

The Karachi-bound bus started its journey in Quetta. The passengers were residents of Quetta and Pishin, rescue workers said.

The vehicle burst into flames after it fell into the ravine, Bela Assistant Commissioner Hamza Anjum said. Two injured people have been referred to Karachi and the other two to Quetta. The rescue began at 3am and bodies were sent to Civil Hospital, Karachi. The bus was carrying at least forty-eight passengers.

DNA samples collected

Primary DNA samples along with reference samples from blood relatives were collected by Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Tariq in Karachi since no medicolegal facilities are available in Balochistan.

The samples were dispatched to the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences on Monday.

The police surgeon said that the bodies have been burnt beyond recognition. She added that the 38 bodies were handled in a professional manner.