Five killed in bus-truck collision in Bhakkar

Police say accident occurred due to speeding

BHAKKAR: Five people lost their lives and 24 others suffered injuries when a passenger bus collided with a truck on Mianwali-Muzaffargarh Road in the Jandanwala police jurisdiction in Bhakkar district at 3am on Saturday.

According to the police, a recklessly driven Mansehra-bound bus, coming from Karachi, collided with a trailer coming from the opposite direction near Fazil Adda. They added that the accident occurred due to speeding and five people died on the spot.

Rescue 1122 official said that the deceased and injured belonged to Mansehra, Haripur and Havaliyan. Those who lost their lives were identified as Zebunnisa Sabir Hussain, 50, Neelum Bibi, 38, Abdul Qadir, 15, Ghulam Mustafa, 45, and Shabbir Hussain, 40.

The bodies and injured were shifted to a nearby hospital while the unknown drivers of the bus and trailer managed to escape.

Rescue Coordinator Mohammad Bilal confirmed with the media that the accident claimed five lives. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Bhakkar and Rural Health Center Jandanwala.

SHO Jandanwala Asif Khan said he reached the spot with his team. “The drivers of the passenger bus and the truck fled from the crime scene. We are carrying out raids to arrest them,” he claimed.

Khan said a case has been registered against three people, including the drivers of the bus and truck and the bus owner in Jandanwala police station. He added a section for driver’s negligence has been included in the FIR.

The bodies will be shifted to the native villages of the deceased persons after an autopsy, as per the instructions of District Police Officer Shaista Nadeem.

Emergency at hospital

After the tragic accident, Bhakkar Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Waqas Rasheed imposed an emergency at the District Headquarters Hospital. He ordered doctors and paramedical staff to make themselves available immediately.

The deputy commissioner ordered hospital administration to provide all medical facilities to the injured people. The health department ensured the provision of all treatment facilities to the victims free-of-charge.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. He also directed the administration to provide the best medical facilities to the injured people. Buzdar also sought a report on the accident.

Poor condition of MM Road

Traffic accidents on MM Road are a regular occurrence due to its dilapidated condition. A large number of people have lost their lives while hundreds suffered injuries. The road needs repairing to avoid further accidents.

All heavy vehicles from Karachi to Peshawar reach their destination via MM Road and speeding is a normal thing. The Bhakkar deputy commissioner told The Express Tribune that the reconstruction of road will start next week. “We are also trying to take measure to control speeding. We will also take action against drivers for reckless driving.”

Two cousins killed

On Friday, two men who were also cousins died while two suffered serious injuries after two motorcycles collided with each other near Jhang Bhakkar Road Sarai Mohajir. The deceased were identified as Abdul Manaan and Sardar Mohammad while the injured were Samihullah and Tahir Khan. According to Rescue Officer Malik Bilal, after the accident, rescue team immediately reached the site and shifted the bodies and injured to DHQ Hospital. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2019.