THATTA, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) — At least 23 people were killed on Sunday evening when a van collided head-on with a passenger bus on a highway in southern Pakistan, local media reported on Monday.
The accident happened on the National Highway near the historic town of Thatta in Sindh province when a speeding passenger van was attempting to overpass a bus. While doing so, the vehicle collided head-on with another bus which was coming from the opposite direction.
The strong impact killed 17 people who were in the van, which was heading towards Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi. Two children, aged 5 and 6, miraculously survived the accident, although they reportedly lost both their parents in the crash.
A total of 19 people were pronounced dead at the scene, while four others succumbed to their wounds at the Civil Hospital in Makli. The violent crash completely destroyed the van and left a bloody scene with several mutilated bodies, many of which were unidentifiable.
According to The Nation, local residents rushed to the scene of the accident themselves to help the victims. The report said officers at a nearby police post had refused to respond because the scene was ‘outside their jurisdiction.’
Road accidents are common in Pakistan with more than 5,500 fatalities in 2007, according to the most recent figures released by national police. Many accidents are the result of poor infrastructure and the disregard of traffic laws.
On September 26, at least 38 people were killed when a school bus carrying more than 100 young people overturned near the town of Kallar Kahar in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Around 70 others were injured.