Three die as speeding bus falls into drain

LAHORE:

At least three people died while six were critically injured after a speedy bus fell into a drain near Pak Arab Society on Monday.

Police said around 24 people were travelling on a bus and heading towards Lahore. As the bus reached near Gujjar Colony Drainage, it overturned and plunged into a drain. Nearby people rushed to the spot and started trying to evacuate the victims. They also called rescue teams. At least six rescue vehicles and 20 rescuers took part in the operation. It took at least two hours to complete the rescue operation.

At first point, the victims were evacuated and shifted to the hospital. The vehicle had turned over and it was lying into the drain upside down.

The deceased were identified as Najma 39, Tufail 40 and Nasreen 40.

Reportedly, the victims were heading to attend a funeral ceremony in Lahore. A day earlier, at least three youth had died in a road accident in Manawan. Three of them had left on a rickshaw for an outing. One of the victims started taking selfies while the other was doing a wheelie. During the stunt, the rickshaw lost control and rammed into an electric pole before hitting a car.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2021.