Pakistan bus collisions kill 38

Police expect casualty figures to rise

Two bus crashes in southern Pakistan have left at least 38 people dead and more than 100 injured, police say.

Most of the casualties were pilgrims visiting the Muslim shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, about 250km (155 miles) north-east of Karachi.

In the first accident, two buses crashed into each other killing 32 people and injuring dozens more, many of them seriously, officials said.

Hours later another two buses collided, also in Sindh province, killing six.

Police say the number of dead from the two accidents is likely to rise.

Head-on smash

The first accident happened late on Saturday on the Indus highway near the shrine at Sehwan.

"The bus of Liaquat Medical College ploughed into a passenger bus near Qalandar's shrine," police officer Malik Usman told the AFP news agency.

Thousands of devotees visit the shrine at this time to mark the death of the 13th century saint.

In the second crash two minibuses collided head-on about 10km away just before dawn on Sunday, Mr Usman said.

Buses in Pakistan are often in poor condition or overcrowded.