20 perish, six injured on Multan-Sukkur Motorway

MULTAN: As many as 20 people were killed while six others were injured in a road accident when a fast moving bus rammed into an oil tanker in the wee hours of Wednesday on Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) near Jalalpur Pirwala.

The bus was carrying passengers from Lahore, Gujrat and Gujranwala to Karachi via Multan-Sukkur Motorway. It was around 3am when the bus hit the oil tanker from rear side and both the vehicles engulfed in fire, rendering the passengers stranded in the bus.

The Rescue 1122 teams were sent from Multan, Lodhran that quickly removed the bodies and injured from the wreckage of the bus, and transported them to Multan Nishtar hospital. Rescue 1122 district officer emergency Dr Kalim said the evacuation operation continued for more than five hours and all dead bodies were recovered.

Some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and DNA tests will be conducted to identify the remains before the bodies are handed over to the families, officials said.

Preliminary findings have established that the unfortunate incident took place when the bus driver drowsed on his seat while driving on the motorway, police said.

CPO Khurram Shahzad Haider reached Multan Nishtar hospital and said the Jalalpur Pirwala police were investigating the matter.

A large number of officers and young passengers have been deployed by the National Highways and Motorway Police.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences in a statement and asked health authorities to provide the best possible treatment to the injured. He also sought a detailed report from Multan Commissioner Engineer Amir Khatak into the accident.

President Dr Arif Alvi also expressed deep sorrow over the incident. He prayed for the departed souls to rest in peace and for a grant of patience to the bereaved families.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the traffic accident. She expressed condolences with the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, in eight people were killed and 24 others injured when a passenger bus heading to Karachi from Swat overturned on Tuesday near Pyala Hotel interchange on Sukkur Motorway.

The accident took place when the driver of the bus lost control while negotiating a sharp turn and the bus fell into a ravine.

Soon after the accident, Edhi volunteers, police and soldiers of Pak Army rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. After two hours, they managed to recover eight bodies, including four women and two children, in addition to 24 injured persons. The condition of seven passengers is stated to be critical. The dead and wounded commuters were shifted to Taluka hospital Rohri and Sukkur.

SSP Sukkur said the accident happened due to negligence of the driver, who was engaged in a conversation with the bus cleaner while taking a sharp turn, adding that the driver of the bus was also injured.

Meanwhile, the volunteers rushed to hospitals and donated blood to the injured victims.

The deceased were identified as Waqas Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed, Amna, Adil, Zakir and Javaria while the identity of two other victims could not be ascertained.