Two children and three women were among 12 killed and 22 wounded in a bus crash in Punjab’s Kallar Kahar town on Saturday, said the Chakwal deputy commissioner, the second such accident over the past four months.
“The death toll has reached 12, 3 women and 2 children are also included in the dead,” Chakwal Deputy Commissioner Quratulain Malik tweeted after posting an initial update.
The passenger bus was en route to Rawalpindi from Jhang when it met with an accident near the Salt Range at Kallar Kahar. The Chakwal deputy commissioner blamed brake failure for the accident. A total of 34 passengers were on the bus.
Malik was present at the site of the accident and described the scene as “painful” and appealed for prayers from everyone. At least seven people were shifted to Rawalpindi due to their critical condition.
The motorway police also blamed brake failure for the accident, Radio Pakistan reported.
At least 14 members of a wedding party, including women and children, were killed and 64 people were injured on February 19 after a bus fell into a ravine and overturned near Kallar Kahar.
CCTV footage of the accident, which was available with Naya Daur, showed that the passenger bus overturned and crashed into the median while trying to take a turn.
Interim Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi was grieved to hear about the accident. He offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.
He directed the administration to provide the best facilities to the injured people and sought a report from the Rawalpindi Division commissioner and the Rawalpindi RPO.
Naqvi called for an inquiry into it.
The ruling alliance has called a meeting on the vehicle inspection process/driving license issuance and data sharing on Monday in the wake of the accident, said Salman Sufi, the head of PM’s Strategic Reforms.
“The unfortunate accident at motorway re-emphasized the dire need for uniformity across provinces for vehicle inspection process/driving license issuance and data sharing,” he tweeted.