MULTAN, Pakistan – A passenger bus collided with a tanker truck carrying oil Sunday in eastern Pakistan, killing 22 people and injuring 23, police said.
The crowded bus veered out of its lane and rammed the truck, which was traveling in the opposite direction near Alipur, a town west of Multan, a major city in the eastern Punjab province, local police officer Rafi Ullah said.
Many of the injured and those who died were on the bus that was heading to Alipur from the nearby city of Muzaffargarh, Ullah said.
At least seven of the injured people were listed in serious condition and hospitalized, he said.
Four women, six children and 12 men died in the accident, said Ullah, who did not have any information on the fate of the drivers of the bus and the truck.
The death toll increased after two men died of their injuries from the accident on their way to a hospital, Ullah said.
Deadly road accidents are common in Pakistan, with many blamed on widespread disregard for traffic rules, poorly maintained roads and inadequately trained public transport drivers who often work long hours.
On Thursday, 12 people were killed and 60 injured when a bus crashed into a car, causing both vehicles to plunge into a ravine in southern Sindh province, police said.
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