First ever metro bus collision kills woman

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three people dead, including two brothers

LAHORE: A woman was killed and 25 others suffered injuries in the first accident of the metro bus since its launch in 2013.

Two metro buses collided near Youhanaabad on Monday. Passersby at the scene called rescue teams and at least 10 vehicles, two motorbikes, and 40 rescue workers reached the spot. They immediately initiated a rescue operation

Police teams and Lahore Deputy Commissioner Saliha Saeed also reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation. The rescue teams recovered the wounded and shifted them to the Lahore General Hospital.

Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Farooq Ahmad confirmed that a woman had lost her life, while 13 of the injured were shifted to the Lahore General Hospital. Around a dozen victims were provided first aid treatment on the spot.

The deceased was identified as Ammara Mubeen, 25, a resident of Kahna Nau. Some of the injured were identified as Ramzan Sohnay, 30, Razia Nazeer, 55, Ayesha Khalid, 18, Rehana Rafiq, 40, Waheed Riaz, 40, Maryum Farooq, 27, Ghulam Farzand, 65, Manzoor Ismail, 35, Shahid Rahmat Ali, 30 and Musawar Ali, 18. The drivers of the buses also suffered injuries in the accident.

Later, the buses were removed by using a crane. The deputy commissioner said that the reason for the accident would be determined after an inquiry.

An FIR has been registered against the metro bus drivers at the Nishter Colony police station on the complaint of Junaid, the brother of the deceased woman.

CM takes notice

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has sought a report on the collision of metro buses near Gajumata. He directed the Punjab Mass Transit Authority to submit a comprehensive report and take action against the people responsible for such negligence.

The chief minister said necessary steps should be taken to avoid such incidents in future. Buzdar also ordered the best healthcare and treatment facilities for the injured.

He also expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the death of a woman commuter and extended his sympathies to the bereaved family.

‘Old enmity' claims three lives

Unidentified gunmen shot three people dead in Baghbanpura on Monday.

This is the second triple murder in the provincial metropolis over the last four days.

The victims, identified as Ghani, 36, Zain 13, and Miraj alias Labha, 26, were busy working at their shop in the market. Suddenly, two unidentified suspects, riding a motorcycle, arrived at the scene and opened fire at them. As a result, the victims suffered bullet injuries and died on the spot.

According to the police, the suspects used a machinegun and a pistol to commit the murder. A suspect was wearing a chaddar and had hidden the machinegun under it.

The other suspect was wearing a helmet, they added.

Some witnesses said that they were busy with their routine work when they heard the roar of gunfire, followed by screams. When they rushed to the spot, they found the victims lying in a pool of blood and the suspects had already fled.

Rescue 1122 teams and forensic experts reached the spot. They collected evidence from the crime scene and recorded the statements of eyewitnesses.

At least 40 bullet shells were recovered from the crime scene.

Ghani and Zain were brothers and ran a butcher shop, while their cousin Miraj worked there as a helper.

Police said initial investigations suggested that the three were killed over an old enmity. However, further investigations would help determine the actual facts, they added.

Additional input from APP