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Pakpattan Bus Crash: 11 Killed, 33 Injured on Depalpur RoadPakistan
A Multan-to-Kasur bus overturned after hitting a potato trailer near Pakpattan, leaving hospitals on emergency footing as rescuers freed trapped passengers.
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Eleven people were killed and 33 others injured on Thursday night when a passenger bus collided with a trailer on Depalpur Road near Pakpattan, in Punjab, rescue officials said.
The bus was travelling from Multan to Kasur when it struck a 10-wheeler trailer loaded with potatoes coming from the opposite direction near the 17 SP stop, according to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Umair Iqbal. The impact overturned the bus, trapping passengers inside the wreckage.
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Rescue teams used cranes and cutting equipment to reach people pinned in the mangled vehicle, cutting away iron seats and other fittings as the operation went on for hours into the night. The dead and injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Pakpattan.
Two of those killed were uniformed men: Ali Hasnain of the Patrolling Police and Zahid Imam of the Para Force, the Express Tribune reported. Of the injured, 25 were admitted to the district hospital, while eight people with minor injuries were treated and released.
Eyewitnesses told Dawn that the crash appeared to have been caused by the bus driver speeding on the single-carriageway road. Rescue 1122 and the district administration have not confirmed a cause, and no investigation findings have been released.
Hospitals placed on emergency footing
Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Asif Raza declared an emergency at the hospital and called in additional doctors and medical staff, while the district police officer reached the crash site to oversee the response.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed grief over the deaths, sought a report on the collision and directed officials to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment. She also offered condolences to the families of the two uniformed men. President Asif Ali Zardari and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also expressed condolences and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
A familiar tragedy on Punjab’s roads
The crash was the second in just over two weeks to kill at least 10 bus passengers in Punjab. On 21 October, a Karachi-to-Dera Ghazi Khan bus overturned after striking a divider on the Indus Highway near Bangla Hidayat in Rajanpur, killing 10 passengers and injuring 35.
The wider picture is stark. Rescue 1122 recorded 44,797 road accidents across Punjab in October alone, with 464 people killed and 23,543 seriously injured, according to figures cited by the Express Tribune. For now, what caused the Pakpattan collision remains an open question.
Tags:Depalpur RoadMaryam NawazMultan Kasur busPakpattan bus crashPunjab road accidentRescue 1122road safety Pakistan
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