40 passengers burnt to death in road accident

At least 40 people died and seven others injured when a passenger bus caught fire after colliding with a tanker at Mazaffar Garh road, reported a private TV channel late on Monday, quoting police sources.


DPO Muzaffar Garh said that almost 30 to 40 passengers were burnt to death in the mishap.


The crash happened in the central city of Muzaffargarh as the bus was travelling from Peshawar to Karachi, police official Mohammad Salim Bukhari said, adding, "This bus collided head-on with a tanker after which it overturned and caught fire. We have retrieved 27 bodies from the wreckage of the burning bus," Bukhari said. Another seven people were wounded, including the bus conductor, he said.


According to the channel, a passenger bus from Peshawar was heading towards Karachi. As it reached near Sultan Colony at Muzaffar Garh road, it collided against a tanker coming from opposite side. All of a sudden, the bus caught fire and almost 40 passengers were burnt to death.


The rescue teams approached the spot and rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. The officials declared emergency in all hospitals of Muzaffar Garh district.


However, the eyewitnesses were infuriated over the efforts carried out by rescue crew including fire brigade. People of the area said that rescue teams and fire brigade reached the spot after three hours, although their offices were hardly 18 kilometers away from the accident spot.


In time response of the concerned authorities could have saved many precious lives.


Police were obtaining the passenger list from the bus company but initial information suggested there were almost 56 passengers on board.


Pakistan has the world's third-highest death rate from road accidents, blamed on poor roads and reckless driving.