Deadly collision: Five die in a fatal crash near Chakwal

ISLAMABAD:

At least five passengers, two of them females, were killed and 12 others injured on Sunday when a van collided head-on with a dumper near Durabi Valley on the Chakwal-Talagang Road.

According to Chakwal District Coordination Officer (DCO) Mehmood Javed Bhatti, the van carrying nearly 17 passengers was en route to Mianwali from Rawalpindi when it smashed into the dumper coming from the opposite direction. “The dumper had slightly changed its lane which resulted in a head-on collision,” he said.

However, survivors told The Express Tribune that the van was speeding at the time of the accident. They claimed the driver had refused to slow down, despite repeated requests by the passengers onboard.

The five victims include the van’s driver Muhammad Altaf as well as a Muhammad Yaqoob, Rifat Balqees and Mansoor.

After the incident, a number of injured persons were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital in Chakwal. The DCO said the condition of one of the injured was critical and he was shifted to Rawalpindi. Police have arrested the dumper’s driver and registered an FIR against him.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2015.