Eleven killed, 33 injured as bus hits trailer in Pakpattan

Eleven people were killed and 33 injured when a passenger bus travelling from Multan to Kasur collided with a 10-wheel trailer on Depalpur Road in Pakpattan district on Thursday, according to Aaj News.

All 11 died at the scene of the crash. Rescue teams and police reached the site after the collision and moved the bodies and the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital in Pakpattan, where an emergency had been declared and the wounded were being treated.

Rescue officials said the dead included personnel of a para force and of the patrolling police. Fourteen women were among the injured, the same officials said, and five of the injured were referred to Sahiwal because their condition was critical.

Depalpur Road was reopened to traffic after the rescue operation at the crash site was completed, the report said.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed grief at the loss of life and directed that the injured passengers be given the best available medical facilities. Deputy Commissioner Pakpattan reached the hospital on her instructions. She prayed for the injured and offered condolences to the families of those killed, and asked for a report on the accident.

Aaj News did not state what caused the collision. The report did not name those killed or injured, the operator of the bus, or the owner of the trailer.

Road crashes involving passenger coaches and heavy trucks are common on Punjab's intercity highways, where buses on long routes share single-carriageway stretches with goods traffic. Pakpattan lies on the route connecting Multan to the Kasur and Lahore side of the province.