At least 30 people have been killed after a passenger bus collided with an oncoming truck on Taunsa Road near Dera Ghazi Khan.
The death toll in the fatal incident has risen to 30, with more than 40 people who have been shifted to hospital and have suffered severe injuries.
The passengers, en route from Sialkot to Rajanpur were mostly laborers who were returning to their hometown to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their families.
The bus was carrying a total of 75 passengers, said District emergency officer rescue Dr Nayyar Alam.
Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan Dr Irshad Ahmed has confirmed the death of 29 passengers including women and children.
The number of fatalities later rose to 30 as confirmed by HQ Teaching Hospital Medical College principal Dr Asif Qureshi.
The dead bodies and wounded have been shifted to DHQ Teaching Hospital DG Khan.
Sources privy to the development said that the bus was overcrowded and was not a mechanical fit to hit the roads. The driver was holding the accelerator wire in his hands while driving the bus which eventually ended up colliding with a trailer. The bus was having a capacity of 48 passengers but 78 passengers were travelling in the ill-fated vehicle.
Federal Interior Minister – Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting – Fawad Chaudhry, CM Punjab Usman Buzdar and PML-N President and NA Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif have expressed sorrow and have offered condolences over the fatal accident.
