ISLAMABAD: The death toll in the Kohat bus-tanker collision has reached 23 people, including women and children.
The accident took place when a passenger bus collided with an oil tanker on the Indus Highway near Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Kohat district on Saturday.
The bus was on its way to Karachi from Buner when it collided with the tanker that was coming from the opposite direction while heading towards Peshawar, in Lachi tehsil. Most of the victims belonged to KP’s Buner and Mardan districts.
By the time rescue forces reached the spot, both vehicles were completely damaged and burnt. Rescue teams had to cut through the roof to pull out dead bodies and 35 injured passengers, who were then moved to Liaquat Memorial Hospital (LMH) and KDA Hospital in Kohat.
According to rescue sources, two bodies were removed from underneath the tanker. They further said that the rescue operation has been completed.
“The deceased included two women and two minors,” police said.
Earlier, District Police Officer (DPO) Sohail Khalid while confirming on-the-spot deaths of 17 people, had stated that 35 injured passengers had been taken to hospitals in Kohat for immediate medical care. Later the death toll rose to 23.
Police said the accident was a result of speeding, however, an investigation into the incident has been launched to determine the exact cause.
The Indus Highway is a 1,264 kilometre-long four-lane national highway that connects the port city Karachi with the northwestern city of Peshawar. It passes through Hyderabad, Dadu, Shikarpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lakki Marwat, Kohat.
