Pakistan bus crash toll hits 56

The death toll in one of Pakistan's worst bus accidents rose to 56 on Friday when divers recovered 28 more bodies from a canal.

The overloaded bus plunged into the Thal canal near Bhakkar, 300 kilometres west of Lahore, on Thursday.

The bus was travelling from Bhakkar to nearby Goharwala when its front axle broke, police said.

Most of the crash victims were students who were returning home from schools and colleges.

One surviving student, Kamran Saeed, said the 42-seater was packed, with another 20 people on the roof. Many of those leaped to safety before the bus fell.

Angry locals later gathered to chant slogans against transport operators, blocking the main road for several hours.