Multan (Web Desk): At least 20 people were killed and six others injured when a passenger coach collided with an oil tanker and caught fire on Multan-Sukkur motorway (M-5) near Jalal Pur Pirwala Interchange on Tuesday.
The sleeper bus was on its way to Karachi from Lahore. Around 25 people were on board with 22 passengers headed to Karachi and two to Hyderabad.
According to Rescue 1122 Multan, the dead bodies and injured have been shifted to Nishter Hospital Multan.
Commissioner Multan Amir Khattak also confirmed the incident on his Twitter handle. He wrote that the accident had taken place around 4am.
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Spokesperson of the Motorway Police, the bus caught fire as soon as the collision took place. It took several hours for the rescue teams to put out the fire.
As per the eye eyewitnesses, the fire was so intense that the flames could be seen from several miles away.
Traffic remained suspended on the motorway for several hours after the accident.
While the cause of the crash has not been confirmed, some police officials opined that the bus was overspeeding while others allege that the driver had fallen asleep.
President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in a traffic accident on M-5 near Jalal Pur Pirwala Interchange.
In their separate statements today, they prayed for the departed souls and commiserated with the bereaved families.
President Alvi directed to provide every possible medical treatment to those injured in the accident. He said effective steps need to be taken to avert such accidents.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the deceased and their families.
"I am saddened by the loss of 20 precious lives in the accident. My prayers are with the bereaved families," the premier tweeted.
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Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also expressed grief over the loss and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
He directed the relevant authorities to provide "the best possible medical treatment" to the injured and to cooperate with the families of the deceased to identify them.
