At least five people were killed and 30 others injured after a passenger bus travelling from Raiwind to Chiniot plunged into a drain near the Fatikki Flyover in Hafizabad on Thursday.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the bus collided with a road divider before falling into the drain. The injured passengers were shifted to hospital for medical treatment, while rescue workers and police launched an operation at the scene.
Rescue sources said around 65 passengers were aboard the bus, which was travelling to Chiniot to attend a religious congregation in Raiwind, when the accident occurred. The driver reportedly fell asleep, causing the crash.
Rescue teams used a crane to pull the bus out of the drain and recovered bodies from underneath the vehicle. A search operation continued amid fears that more passengers could be trapped.
Further details about the victims and the condition of the injured were not immediately available.
It is worth mentioning that in June 2026, 10 people were burnt to death after a tourist van caught fire on the Murree Expressway near Kahjoot. Eight others were also injured in that incident.
Providing details of the accident, Murree District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Muhammad Raza had said that the passenger van first went out of control due to overspeeding and crashed into a roadside safety barrier.
The impact caused the vehicle’s fuel tank to explode. Petrol leakage subsequently engulfed the entire van in flames within seconds.
He further said that the collision was so severe that passengers inside the vehicle did not get an opportunity to escape, resulting in the loss of lives.
Authorities said that eight people who sustained burn injuries in the previous accident were immediately shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad.
Four children killed in Neelum Valley road accident
In a separate incident earlier, four children were killed and four others injured after a vehicle carrying children fell into the Neelum River in Azad Kashmir.
According to rescue sources, the vehicle was travelling from Nagdar towards Athmuqam when the accident occurred near the Ghore Nakka area of Nagdar. All the children involved belonged to the same family.
Rescue teams and personnel from relevant agencies reached the scene and launched relief operations. The bodies of four children were recovered from the river and shifted to a local hospital.
The deceased were identified as Hasnain, 12, and Zareed, both sons of Zahoor; Teefu, 10, son of Mashkoor; and Aleen, daughter of Mashkoor. The injured were identified as Rashida Bibi, wife of Zahoor; Mashkoor, 50, son of Zafarullah; Abdullah, 9, son of Mashkoor; and Aiman, 12, daughter of Zahoor. They were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
