Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA)  At least 29 people were killed and over 40 wounded as a passenger bus collided with a trailer in northeastern Pakistan on Monday morning, a rescue official said.

The passenger bus was on its way from Sialkot to Dera Ghazi Khan when it collided with a trailer near Taunsa By-Pass, the official told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

All the injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital, he added.

Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan Dr Irshad Ahmed confirmed that 29 people, including women and children, had died in the incident. He said rescue officials reached the site soon after the accident, adding that dead bodies and the injured were being transferred to the DHQ Teaching Hospital DG Khan.

According to the hospital management, four of the injured were in a critical condition.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid expressed his sorrow over the deaths in the accident. He said the incident was nothing less than a “calamity” for people going back home for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.

“May God raise the dead to a higher level in Paradise [and] give the family the courage to bear the trauma,” he tweeted.

Pakistan has had a long history of railway and bus accidents, mainly because of poor infrastructure and a lack of safety standards.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Additional report from Dawn.com

[Map of Pakistan from the CIA facebook/Public Domain]