Pakistani pres., PM condole over bus accident victims

President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed on Wednesday deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the tragic bus accident in Iran. In separate statements, Zardari and Sharif commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls. The President directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to bring the bodies to Pakistan and provide timely aid to those injured. In addition, Sharif said directions have been issued to Pakistan's mission in Tehran to extend all possible assistance to the affected families Earlier in the day, a bus accident took place in the Iranian city of Yazd, killing and wounding dozens of people. According to state run Radio Pakistan, the bus accident occurred due to failure of brakes, adding that Pakistani pilgrims were headed through Iran to Iraq to attend religious events. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has activated its Crisis Management Unit to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased in the accident. A statement by Foreign Office said, "We express our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families of Pakistani pilgrims who lost their lives in a tragic road accident in the Yazd city in Iran." Source: Kuwait News Agency