QUETTA (Pakistan) -- On Wednesday, a speeding bus crashed into a ravine in a remote part of southwest Pakistan, killing 22 people, including children and women.

The accident occurred in Qilla Saifullah, Baluchistan province.

Mohammad Qasim, Deputy District Administrator, said that rescuers took the bodies to a nearby medical facility. He said that there were no survivors. Qasim stated that 18 people were killed in the accident, but later said that rescuers had rescued four more from the bus's wreckage.

He stated that relatives of victims were being received at the hospital by their loved ones.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

According to authorities, the weather was clear at the time of the accident. Police officers are investigating possible human errors or mechanical problems. Witnesses claimed that the bus lost control of its wheels and crashed into a ravine.

Eyewitness Abdul Ali said by phone to The Associated Press that he was on the same road as Abdul Ali on a motorcycle and noticed a small bus speeding up, skidding down a ravine and then falling into a gorge.

Ali stated that the bus was struck by a vehicle and people in a nearby village called police to alert them. They then rushed to the accident scene. Ali said that he joined the rescuers transporting the bodies to the hospital in an ambulance.

Qillah Saifullah can be found about 200 km (120 miles) north Quetta, capital of Baluchistan Province.

Pakistan's President Arif alvi and other officials of government expressed their sorrow at the tragedy and directed authorities to arrange for the transfer of the bodies to the families.

Road accidents like this one are quite common in Pakistan because of poor road infrastructure, disregard for traffic laws, and poorly maintained vehicles.

A jam-packed bus with mostly labourers returning home from a major Muslim holiday was rammed into a truck by central Pakistani drivers in July last year. It killed at least 33 people.