Islamabad
\nNine passengers died and 30 others were injured after the bus they were travelling on fell into a ditch near Balkassar Interchange in Punjab\u2019s Chakwal district on Sunday morning.
\nAccording to a spokesperson of Chakwal Rescue 1122, the bus was heading to Lahore from Islamabad when one of its tyres burst near the Balkassar Interchange on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M2).
\nThe driver lost control of the bus, causing the vehicle to fall into a ditch and overturn.
\n\u201cNine people died in the accident and 30 were injured,\u201d Dr Saeed Akhter, chief executive officer of the Chakwal District Health Authority (DHA), said in a statement.
\nIt added that Chakwal Deputy Commissioner Sarah Hayat and Assistant Commissioner Zeeshan Sharif also visited the injured at the District Healthquarters (DHQ) Hospital.
\nDC Hayat, who was briefed on the accident\u2019s details, directed that all possible medical facilities be provided to the wounded.
\nEight passengers died on the spot, while one succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, according to an earlier police statement. The bus driver was among the deceased.
\nAccording to the Rescue 1122 statement, there were over 40 passengers on the bus.
\nAs per the list issued by the rescue service, an eight-month and a one-year-old infant were among four children who lost their lives. The eldest person among the deceased was 45 years old, while the injured were aged between 16 and 55 years.
\nTwo sisters aged 14 and two years were among the dead, while their mother was injured. A woman from Philippines, identified as Emy Dela Cruz and married in Lahore, was also among the wounded.
\nRescue 1122 had dispatched six rescue vehicles to the crash site, while personnel of National Highways and Motorway Police, the Chakwal police and a team of the Frontier Works Organisation also reached the incident site.
\nSome of the injured were rushed to Kallar Kahar Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, while others and the bodies were taken to the Chakwal DHQ Hospital.
\nDr Mukhtar Sarwar Niazi, medical superintendent at the DHQ Hospital, told Dawn.com earlier today that four out of 12 injured persons brought there were \u201ccritically injured\u201d and were being referred to Rawalpindi.
\nChakwal District Police Officer Ahmed Mohiuddin took notice of the incident and sent a team comprising senior police officials. \u201cThe site has been cordoned off and police are acting as per law\u201d, a spokesperson of Chakwal Police said.
\nChakwal Rescue and Safety Officer Shaukat Ali said: \u201cOur rescue teams responded with professional expertise, providing immediate medical aid to the injured and transporting the deceased to the hospital.\u201d
\nHe urged the public to ensure complete vehicle fitness checks \u2014 especially tyre, brake and steering system inspections \u2014 before embarking on long journeys to prevent such tragic incidents.
\nFatal road accidents on highways occur frequently in Pakistan, mainly due to overspeeding, hazardous overtaking and disregard for traffic rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Nine passengers died and 30 others were injured after the bus they were travelling on fell into a ditch near Balkassar Interchange in Punjab\u2019s Chakwal district on Sunday morning. According to a spokesperson of Chakwal Rescue 1122, the bus was heading to Lahore from Islamabad when one of its tyres burst near the Balkassar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-493030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n