At least 20 burnt alive in fire after Pakistan bus-tanker collision

Islamabad, Aug 16 (EFE).- At least 20 people were charred to death on Tuesday when a passenger bus collided with an oil tanker in Pakistan.

Six others suffered injuries in the crash near the Jalalpur Pirwala interchange on Multan-Sukkur Motorway.

According to Qazi Ayub, the emergency department chief at a hospital in the nearby Multan city, 20 bodies were charred beyond recognition.

“A DNA test will be conducted to identify the dead,” Ayub told EFE.

He said the six injured are critical.

Police said the tragedy occurred at 2.20 am when the bus collided with the oil tanker from the rear on the one-way roadway.

“Looks like the driver fell asleep (at the wheel),” police officer Abid Hussain told EFE.

Commissioner Multan Amir Khattak said the bus was moving from Lahore to Karachi.

“[The bus] hit oil Tanker from backside and fire erupted,” the commissioner tweeted.

According to the police, the tanker carried thousands of liters of petrol.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident.

“I am saddened by the loss of 20 precious lives in the accident,” the prime minister said.

Accidents are common in Pakistan in areas where roads are not in good condition or safety measures are not taken.

The latest accident happened on a state-of-the-art motorway inaugurated less than two years ago.

According to government data, around 30,000 people die in road accidents annually in Pakistan. EFE

aa/ssk