Raging torrent sweeps away passenger bus carrying 60

Villagers and police rush to save drowning passengers as torrent sweeps away bus.

HARIPUR: A torrent swept away a passenger bus in the remote area of upper Khanpur on Tuesday morning.

Most passengers were recovered alive but some are feared missing. The bus was carrying over 60 passengers including women and children, police and eyewitnesses said.

DPO Haripur Nabi ur Rehman said that all passengers were recovered alive while some sustained minor injuries and have been shifted to Khanpur hospital. He denied that any passenger was still missing.

Police and eyewitnesses said that when the bus approached the causeway of village Choee, the driver continued that way despite seeing that it was flooded, hoping to take his vehicle across.

The Rawalpindi bound bus, that was coming from Hally area in the upper Khanpur valley, broke down in the middle of the torrent and a heavy current of water swept it down the small bridge.

"It was all happening in front of eyes of several villagers who were waiting to cross the flooded causeway", a villager, Raja Qadeer told Express Tribune by phone.

He said that after a few seconds the bus completely disappeared in the water forcing villagers to run to the rescue of drowning passengers.

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