At least 57
people, including women and children, have been killed after a bus crashed into
an oil tanker in southern Pakistan. The accident led to a fiery blaze, making
rescue attempts difficult.
The
overloaded bus was on its way to Shikarpur from Pakistan's commercial capital,
Karachi. Senior police officer Rao Muhammad Anwaar said the bus "hit the
oil tanker which, according to initial reports, was coming from the wrong
direction."
The
accident led to a fierce blaze, which was put out by the fire brigade, but not
until both the bus and the tanker were completely consumed, Pakistani newspaper
The Express Tribune reported. Rescue workers had to cut through heavy machinery
to reach the victims, it said.
A few
passengers escaped by jumping out of the windows.
As many as 57 people are reported to have died in fiery crash between bus and oil tanker near Karachi, #Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/txIwP4NzoP
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 11, 2015
"We
have received more than 57 dead bodies but the death toll may rise as most of
them are completely burnt and stuck to each other," Semi Jamali, a doctor
at Karachi's Jinnah hospital, told news agency Agence France Presse.
Bodies that
were badly burnt would have to be identified using DNA tests, Jamali added.
The
accident was the second collision within a span of three months. In November,
57 people including women and children were killed when a bus crashed into a
goods truck loaded with coal.
Pakistan
has a record number of fatal travel accidents, owing mainly to bad roads and
reckless driving.
mg/cmk (AFP, AP)
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