18 burn to death in Pakistan after bus crashes into fuel-carrying truck
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A bus reduced to its metal frame after it crashed into a truck carrying diesel and petrol in Pakistan on Aug 20.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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ISLAMABAD – At least 18 people burned to death on Sunday when an overnight bus smashed into a truck carrying diesel in eastern Pakistan, officials said.
The accident took place on a motorway early on Sunday morning near the town of Pindi Bhattian in eastern Punjab province.
“Within five minutes, the whole bus was engulfed in flames. Eighteen people burned alive while16 others were injured, of whom four are (in) critical (condition),” senior police officer Fahad Ahmed told Agence France-Presse on the phone.
“It seems that the driver of the bus dozed off.”
The Suzuki open-back truck was carrying drums of diesel and petrol.
Ramshackle highways, lax safety measures and reckless driving contribute to Pakistan’s dire road safety record.
Passenger buses are frequently crammed to capacity, and seatbelts are not commonly worn, meaning that high death tolls from single-vehicle accidents are common.
In January, at least 40 people died when a bus plunged off a bridge in south-western Pakistan and burst into flames. AFP
