At least 11 people were killed and 33 others injured when a bus collided with a truck on Depalpur Road in Pakpattan district on Thursday evening.
The bus, travelling from Multan to Kasur, overturned after the impact near 17/SP. Local residents and passers-by were the first to reach the scene and helped pull the injured from the wreckage before rescue teams arrived.
Rescue 1122 personnel worked for about two hours to free passengers trapped inside the mangled bus, cutting through seats and twisted metal to reach them. Eight of the injured had minor injuries, 25 were taken to the district hospital in Pakpattan, and two patients in critical condition were moved to Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.
Eyewitnesses said the crash apparently happened because the bus driver was speeding on the single-carriageway road. The cause has not yet been formally established. All of those killed were men, and no names had been released when the report was filed.
Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Asif Raza declared an emergency at every hospital in the district and ordered doctors and paramedical staff, including those on leave or off duty, to report for emergency duty at once. District Police Officer Javed Chadhar also reached the site and supervised the rescue operation.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the crash and directed the deputy commissioner to personally oversee the rescue work and ensure the injured received the best possible treatment. In a condolence message, she expressed deep sorrow and sympathy with the bereaved families.
The crash comes weeks after three people were killed when a van struck a parked trailer on the M-5 motorway.
