5 killed, eight injured in motorway collision

DIJKOT:

Five wedding party members, including a couple and a woman, were killed while eight others, including children, were injured when a car collided with a coaster on the M-4 Motorway near Sahianwala Interchange on Sunday.

According to police, the coaster carrying wedding guests from Narowal to Khachian, Barnala, collided with the car travelling from Faisalabad towards Pindi Bhattian near Ganna Bridge in the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company area.

The coaster overturned onto the car, killing five people on the spot.

The deceased were identified as car driver Riffaqat Ali, 50, his wife Shabana, 45, Asif Zahoor, 54, his wife Musarrat Bibi, 50, and coaster driver Akhtar Ali, 50. The injured included Akbar Khan, 50, Ayub, 25, Farzana, 20, and children Rani Bibi, five, Ali Hassan, eight, Ali Asghar, six, Ali Ahmed, five, and Khadija, three.

Rescue 1122 teams provided first aid to the injured and shifted them to the Allied Hospital. Sahianwala SHO Tahir Shabbir and other police officials reached the scene and assisted rescue workers and local residents in evacuating the injured.

The police took the bodies into custody and launched legal formalities.