At least 12 perish in bus-van collision near Sheikhupura

At least 12 people were killed and 15 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a van in Punjab's Sheikhupura district. 

The mishap occurred in the Darbar area on Kalakhatai Road in Narang Mandi, Express News reported.

Soon after the incident was reported, Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

According to rescue sources, the bus and van caught fire after the accident, as a result of which several passengers suffered burn injuries. The cause of the fire is said to be a gas cylinder in the van.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in the traffic mishap and directed provision of the best medical facilities to the injured. He said that the administrative officers and elected representatives should monitor the assistance provided to the injured.

Earlier this month, at least 19 people died, whereas 1,070 were injured in 993 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) in all 36 districts of Punjab in 24 hours.

Out of this, 651 people were seriously injured who were shifted to different hospitals. Whereas, 419 minor injured victims were treated at the incident site.

The majority (63%) involved motorcycles. Further analysis showed that 415 drivers, 44 underage drivers, 161 pedestrians, and 513 passengers were among the victims of these road traffic crashes.

The statistics showed that 233 RTCs were reported in Lahore which affected 232 persons placing the Provincial Capital at top of the list followed by 76 in Faisalabad with 83 victims and at third Multan with 67 RTCs and 74 victims.