A collision between a passenger van and a pickup truck on Indus Highway claimed the lives of 16 people and injured four others, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. The incident took place in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The passenger van was travelling to Dera Ismail Khan from Peshawar when it collided with a pick-up truck near the Sipena Bandi Village. After the collision, gas cylinder fitted in the van exploded and the vehicle caught fire. At least 11 people were burned alive on the spot, while five more succumbed to burn injuries later.
Following the accident, rescue teams arrived at the location and moved the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital in a critical condition. According to hospital officials, some of the injured are in a critical condition, which might lead to more casualties. Their bodies have been shifted to a hospital in Peshawar for identification and medio-legal procedures. Further investigations on the matter are underway.
Published in Daily Times, February 7th 2019.
