Pakistan crash kills at least 30 children

At least 31 children and four adults were killed when a bus crashed on a motorway south-east of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, officials said.

The bus, which was ferrying private school pupils back from a picnic, came off the road and fell into a ravine in Punjab province late Monday.

"Thirty-five people, including 31 children and four adults, have been killed in the accident," said Naseem Sadiq, a senior administration official in the children's home district of Faisalabad.

"The driver, his helper, vice principal and a teacher of the school were among the dead.

"All the children were aged 10 to 15," said Dr Sultan Alamgirian, head of Chakwal's main district hospital, where the dead and injured were sent.

Officials said they would investigate the cause of the accident, but said early reports indicated the bus's brakes had failed.

In June, at least 12 children were killed and two others wounded when their school bus plunged into a canal in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan has one of the world's worst records for deadly traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.