18 killed, 15 injured as passenger bus catches fire near Pindi Bhattian

• Bus was carrying between 35 to 40 people.
• Fire engulfed vehicle shortly after hit.
• 4 people are in critical condition in hospital.

As many as 18 people, including women and children, lost their lives while 15 others were left injured after a passenger smashed into a pick-up carrying diesel drums and caught fire on the Faisalabad Motorway near Pindi Bhattian early Sunday.

The bus — carrying around 35-40 people — was en route to Islamabad from Karachi, according to rescue officials. Drivers of both vehicles were among those who lost their lives.

The injured were transported to Pindi Bhattian and Faisalabad Hospital, said the medical superintendent.

The accident occurred near the Pindi-Bhattian Interchange at 4am, after the bus hit a pick-up van that was carrying diesel drums, District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Fahad said, adding that fire engulfed the bus shortly after the hit. 

People nearby tried to pull the passengers out of the bus by breaking windows. The injured — of whom four are in critical condition — were taken to the hospital.

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.