At least 20 people were killed and 50 others injured in the early hours of Friday when a speeding bus of pilgrims overturned on a road and hurtled down a ravine in a remote area of ​​southwestern Pakistan, police and officials said.

The accident occurred in Khuzdar, a district of Balochistan province, explained Hafeez Ullah Mengal, a local police officer, adding that rescuers took the dead and injured to a nearby hospital.

Imam Bakhsh, one of the injured, told The Associated Press by phone that passengers had repeatedly warned the driver to be more careful. He blamed the driver for the accident and said he was enjoying the music and his driving was reckless.

According to Imran Ahmad, an official of the Levies security forces, an alleged negligence of the driver was the cause of the accident, but he pointed out that the authorities were still investigating what happened.

The pilgrims were returning to Dadu, a district in the neighboring southern province of Sindh, after visiting the shrine of a Sufi saint. Khuzdar District Deputy Commissioner Bashir Ahmed said the driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp curve.

The bus was crowded and several of the pilgrims were sitting on the roof at the time of the incident, Ahmed added, noting that the prognosis for some of the injured was critical and that the driver also suffered injuries.

"There is not a single passenger who was not injured in the accident," Ahmed told the AP by phone. Thousands of people from across the country visit the temple each year to participate in an annual gathering at the site, he said. The dead and wounded were from Sindh province.

Such fatal accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor road conditions and non-compliance with traffic regulations.