The death toll from the Murree Expressway van fire has risen to 10, including children and 13 others were injured, according to the reports on Wednesday. All 23 passengers belonged to the same family, the reports further add.
The Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has also expressed grief over the loss of lives. Further, she has directed the authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.
Tourist van catches fire on Murree Expressway
Earlier, a tourist van caught fire on the Murree Expressway on Wednesday. According to the initial reports by the District Police Officer (DPO) of Murree, at least six people were initially reported dead. In addition to this, several other people had suffered burn injuries.
The injured were shifted to PIMS Hospital. The Hi Ace van was travelling from Islamabad to Murree when the incident occurred.
Officials said the vehicle was engulfed in flames, prompting an immediate emergency response.
Personnel from the motorway police and the Murree administration rushed to the scene and launched rescue and relief operations.
A motorway police spokesperson also said that the fire was brought under control and extinguished.
Rescue teams continued operations at the site while assessing the situation and determining the number of casualties.
According to police, the van crashed into a roadside barrier due to overspeeding. The impact reportedly caused the engine to catch fire. After that, according to the reports, the doors became jammed and trapped the passengers inside the vehicle.
Further details are awaited.
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Kotli Sattian fire destroys wildlife
A recent forest fire in Kotli Sattian, caused by intense heat, caused massive destruction not only to wildlife. It also damaged a huge amount of natural forest.
Satellite images have revealed the scale of destruction caused by a forest fire in Kotli Sattian.
Data released by SUPARCO shows that about 3326.4 ha (8219.5 acres) of natural forest have been burnt at 27 locations in the ecologically sensitive region.
