36 people have died in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan.

Islamabad: 36 people lost their lives in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday. According to Pakistan's Interior Ministry, 12 people were killed on the Makran Coastal Highway in southwestern Balochistan province. Another accident in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) killed 24 people when a bus plunged into a deep ravine, Al Jazeera reported, citing local officials.

The first accident occurred overnight when a bus carrying Shia pilgrims returning from Iran for a religious observance overturned on the side of the road.

The provincial government has informed that 32 people have been injured and their condition is critical.

Four people were trapped in the container and a crane was ordered to pull them out, Pakistani news outlet Dawn reported.

The second accident took place in Kahuta district of East Punjab province of Pakistan. They were heading towards PoJK. Initially, local police said seven were injured, but later doctors and government officials said everyone on the bus died in the accident. Rescue officer Raja Moazzam said that most of the bodies have been identified.

Rescue officer Usman Gujar told Dawn, “The accident occurred due to brake failure of the coaster.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have expressed grief over the incident in separate statements.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed “heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased in both the accidents.”

Notably, road accidents are frequent in Pakistan due to inadequate infrastructure, poor quality vehicles and reckless driving.

According to Al Jazeera, about 9,000 cases are reported each year, resulting in more than 5,000 deaths.

Earlier this week, a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims overturned in central Iran, killing 28 passengers and injuring 23 others.

An unfortunate incident occurred as a Pakistani pilgrim, who was on his way to Iraq for a globally recognized Shia Muslim event known as Arbeen, met with a tragic accident. Their bus overturned at a security checkpoint in Yazd province on Tuesday night and burst into flames. The bodies of the deceased were repatriated using a Pakistani military aircraft and later cremated in Sindh province. Thousands of Shiite Muslims travel to Iraq's holy city of Karbala to mark the annual 40-year anniversary. A day of mourning followed the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, a central figure in the sect of Islam, Al Jazeera reported.