Thaindian News

Islamabad, Nov 13 (IANS) At least 22 people were killed and over 35 injured when a passenger van collided with a bus Sunday night in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, said a local police officer.

All the 20 people, including the driver, on the passenger van got killed when it fell into a ravine after hitting a bus from behind in Thatta area, a district located some 100 km to the east of Karachi, said District Police Officer of Thatta Muhammad Ali Wasan, reported Xinhua.

At least two people in the bus hit by the van were killed while over 35 others were injured, said Wasan, adding that 18 of the injured people have been shifted to a nearby hospital while a dozen more remained trapped inside the bus.

Rescue workers are trying to tear apart the crashed bus in order to get the people trapped inside the bus out, said Wasan.

A total of 25 ambulances have been dispatched to the accident site shortly after the accident was reported, said local media reports.

Hospital sources said that many of the injured people were in critical condition and the death toll could further rise.

Both Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have expressed sorrow over the incident and sent condolences to the families of the victims.

Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad has directed local hospital administration to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured people.

According to Wasan, the accident took place at about 7 p.m. local time when an overspeeding passenger van moving from Badin district of Sindh province to Karachi hit the bus on way from Thatta district to Karachi.

There were an estimated 70 passengers on the bus when the accident happened, said the district police officer.