18 burnt to death, in horrific bus-pick up collision

ISLAMABAD_ At least 18 people including women and children, were burnt to death while several others sustained injuries in a collision between a passenger bus and a pickup carrying diesel barrels on Faisalabad Motorway near Pindi Bhattian early

Sunday morning.

According to details, Rescue 1122 informed that the drivers of both vehicles were also killed in the crash. The bus, carrying about 40 passengers, was going to Islamabad from Karachi when the horrified accident occurred. The injured have been admitted to Pindi Bhattian Hospital. The District Police Officer Dr Fahad talking to a private news channel said that the fire engulfed the bus shortly after the collision. He said most of the injured persons are in critical condition. The eyewitnesses said people from nearby areas tried to pull the passengers out of the burning bus by smashing windows.

A National Highways and Motorways Police (NHMP) spokesman also added that at least 15 passengers were safely pulled out of the wreckage. He said IG NHMP Sultan Ali Khawaja is supervising the rescue and relief activities. Khawaja also inquired after the injured. He said short-circuiting was said to be the cause of the fire in the bus.DPO Dr Fahad further shared that 18 bodies had been removed from the bus and will be identified through DNA testing.

It must be noted that there have been a number of such highway accidents, claiming numerous lives.

Five people, including a woman and two minors, were killed, and 20 others injured when a bus overturned in the Fazilpur area of Punjab’s Rajanpur district back in July.

With the devotees of a Sufi saint aboard, the bus was on its way back to Jacobabad from Sakhi Sarwar, when it turned over after the driver lost control of the vehicle as he “fell asleep”, rescue officials said.

People with severe injuries were shifted to Rajanpur district hospital, while the others were shifted to a local hospital in Fazilpur.

The July accident came days after another unfortunate tragedy in the Geeti-Das area near Babusar Top, which killed eight people and injured several others.

The tourist bus fell into a deep gorge while navigating a sharp turn on the mountainous terrain, and caught fire.

Before that, six lives were claimed in a similar accident in the Thalichi area of Diamer district on July 16.

In June, at least 12 people — including women and children — died leaving 24 others injured after a passenger bus turned turtle on the Islamabad-Lahore motorway near Kallar Kahar.

Motorway police said at that time that the bus was heading to Lahore from Rawalpindi when the accident happened.

A spokesperson of NHMP said that due to the accident, two lanes of the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway were closed, while the third one was open for traffic.