Road crash: At least 23 dead as passenger bus overturns

Official say the vehicle was filled beyond capacity; police blame driver.

SHEIKHUPURA:

Nearly two dozen people were killed and more than 40 injured on Saturday when a bus overturned near Khurrianwala tehsil on Faisalabad Road.

The passenger vehicle was travelling from Sialkot to Faisalabad. Along the way the bus collided with an electricity pylon and overturned due to speeding. At least 18 people died on the spot and five more succumbed to their injuries.

“The deceased belonged to Gujranwala, Sialkot and Sambrial tehsil,” a passenger said.

The police blamed the accident on the driver’s recklessness. Policemen said they are carrying out further investigations.

The bus overturned because it was believed to be carrying more people than its capacity, said the area’s deputy superintendent.

Sources say that after the accident, when the injured passengers were moved to a nearby hospital, not a single doctor was present to attend to them. Poor medical facilities in hospitals resulted in the loss of five lives, whereas 12 critically injured passengers have been moved to Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2013.