India, July 3 -- At least 40 people were killed and eight others injured after an overcrowded passenger bus plunged into a rocky ravine in south-western Pakistan on Friday, officials said.

The bus was travelling from the provincial capital, Quetta, to the national capital, Islamabad. There were 48 passengers on board, the Associated Press reported.

Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said the bus lost control and plunged into a ravine in Dana Sar, a remote area near the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

He said the vehicle was carrying not only its own passengers but also travellers from another bus that had broken down, making it overcrowded, the report said. Rind added that rescue team...