30 killed in Rahim Yar Khan road accident

55 injured; seven of dead belong to same family

RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least 30 people were killed and 55 others critically injured when two speeding buses collided while negotiating a sharp turn on Khanpur Road in the wee hours of Monday, officials said.

The accident was so severe that the mangled bodies of the two buses had to be cut to remove the bodies of the dead and the injured.

One of the buses was on its way from Karachi to Lahore while the other was heading to Sadiqabad from Faisalabad. The dead and the injured were shifted to Khanpur Hospital and Rahim Yar Khan Hospital.

According to Rescue 1122, seven deceased passengers belonged to the same family. Rescue 1122 and police immediately rushed to the scene and started the rescue operation.

The district administration declared emergency in the hospitals for provision of timely relief to the injured. Assistant Education Officer Rahim Yar Khan Imdadullah and his wife Tayyaba Bibi were also among the deceased.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident and prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls. A statement from the Prime Minister House said the prime minister had directed the authorities concerned to extend best medical treatment to the injured.