Five killed, 40 injured as Lahore-Chiniot bus falls into drain

Five people were killed and 40 others injured when a speeding passenger bus went out of control and fell into a sewer drain near Kot Nakka in Hafizabad district, Aaj News reported.

The bus was travelling from Lahore to Chiniot. According to the Aaj News report, it was turning a curve near Kot Nakka when it went out of control and plunged into the drain running beside the road.

The report, citing initial information, said the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and that the bus had been moving fast. It did not say whether investigators had confirmed that account, and no police statement on the cause was quoted.

Rescue teams brought the dead and the injured out of the bus and shifted them to hospital. A crane was used to lift the bus out of the drain. Officials told Aaj News that rescue operations at the site were still under way when the report was filed in the early hours of Thursday.

Children were among the injured, and the report said there were fears the number of casualties could rise. It also carried reports that some passengers were still missing, without giving a figure.

Aaj News did not name the hospitals the injured were taken to, did not identify any of the dead, and gave no information on the condition of the wounded. No district administration or police official was quoted by name, and there was no word on whether a case had been registered over the crash or how many people were on board.

Because the figures were described as preliminary, the count of five dead and 40 injured may be revised as hospitals account for those brought in and rescuers finish clearing the vehicle. Kot Nakka is in Hafizabad district of Punjab.