At least five women were among six people killed on Sunday when a vehicle fell into a ravine from the Karakoram Highway near the Thalichi area in Gilgit Baltistan’s Diamer district, the medical superintendent said.

The deceased were identified as Atiya, Kiran, Sadaf, Rabia, Bilqees, and Ammar. All the passengers belonged to Karachi, Sindh, the southern part of Pakistan, an official told Aaj News.

The site of the accident is 45km away from Gilgit. The northern region is famous for its serenity and high mountains, but such incidents have been reported in the past as well. Many people have blamed the dangerous roads, landslides, lack of street lights, and reckless driving for the accidents.

At least two people out of the total 16 injured were reportedly in critical condition. The casualties were shifted to Saifur Rehman City Hospital and Provincial Headquarters Hospital in Gilgit.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was grieved over the lives lost in the accident, state broadcaster PTV News reported. He ordered an inquiry to ascertain the facts leading to the fatal accident.

The premier directed the authorities to undertake “immediate” relief activities and directed federal departments to lend their assistance.

Moreover, PM Shehbaz ordered authorities to provide medical treatment to those injured and also prayed for their early recovery.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also grieved over the casualties. In a statement shared by the Pakistan Peoples Party on Twitter, he condoled the bereaved families of the bus passengers and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

The foreign minister further called for preparing a strategy to avert such incidents in the future.

Five tourists were killed in two traffic accidents in GB’s Hunza earlier this month.

More than 27,000 people were killed on Pakistan’s roads in 2018, according to World Health Organisation estimates.