Mohsin Naqvi, Arif Alvi, Murtaza Solangi condole demise of passengers
HAFIZABAD
At least 20 people, including women and children, were burnt to death while 15 others sustained injuries in a collision between a passenger bus and a pick up carrying diesel barrels on Faisalabad Motorway near Pindi Bhattian before dawn on Sunday.
The accident happened because the driver of the passenger bus fell asleep and his vehicle smashed into a pick-up that was carrying diesel drums. The bus suddenly caught fire. As a result, 20 passengers died and 15 sustained serious injuries.
Drivers of both the vehicles have also been killed in the accident. The ill-fated bus, carrying about 40 passengers, was going to Islamabad from Karachi, said rescue officials. The injured have been admitted to Pindi Bhattian Hospital.
The fire engulfed the bus shortly after the collision, according to the District Police Officer Hafizabad Dr Fahad. He said most of the injured were in critical condition. Eyewitnesses said people from nearby area tried to pull the passengers out of the burning bus by smashing windows.
According to Rescue 1122, its teams reached the venue within five minutes. A National Highways and Motorways Police (NHMP) spokesman said 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 fire in the bus. The IG suspended the beat commander and entire night patrolling shift from service and ordered inquiry into the tragic incident.
The process of identifying the burnt passengers is still going on. Among those who died in the accident, 6 members of the same family are also included, while those injured in the accident are from Karachi, Khairpur, Faisalabad, Jalalpur Bhattian, and Pindi Bhattian.
Hafizabad DSP Ahsan Zafar said that the passenger bus was burnt into ashes after crashing into a diesel vehicle. People nearby tried to pull the passengers out of the bus by breaking windows. The accident happened around 4:30 in the morning while the fire was brought under control after the hectic effort of an hour.
A surviving passenger in the vehicle said that the bus driver was changed at Rahim Yar Khan while the petrol of the vehicle started leaking near the M3 toll plaza on Pindi Bhattian. Meanwhile, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives due to the fire in a passenger coach near Pindi Bhattian.
The chief minister expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased. He also sought a report on the tragic incident from the administration and the police.
“The best treatment facilities should be provided to the injured,” he directed. “The Punjab government equally shares the grief of the bereaved families,” he stated. President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday expressed his deep grief over loss of precious lives in a road accident, after a deadly fire burnt down a passengers bus near Pindi Bhattian.
The president expressed his sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release. He also prayed for the early recovery of the injured passengers.
Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Sunday expressed deep grief and sorrow over the accident of a passenger coach coming from Karachi to Islamabad. In a statement, the minister expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the tragic accident.
“The reasons should be determined so that such accidents can be avoided in the future,” Solangi said. He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear this loss with fortitude. Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi also prayed for early recovery of the injured.
