News Digest

At least 57 people killed in fiery Pakistan bus-oil tanker crash

A passenger bus crashed into an oil tanker in southern Pakistan early Sunday, killing 57 people with remains charred beyond recognition, officials said. Dr. Seemi Jamali, who heads the emergency section at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center in Karachi where the remains were brought, said they had received 57 bodies. Four people were also injured, she said. Authorities fear the death toll could rise, with most of the bodies burnt beyond recognition. Initial reports said the oil tanker was travelling in the wrong direction along the dilapidated stretch of road, police said.

We have received more than 57 dead bodies but the death toll may rise as most of them are completely burnt … They are beyond recognition, they can only be identified by DNA test.

Doctor Semi Jamali at Karachi’s Jinnah hospital told AFP

The overloaded bus, carrying more than 60 passengers, was en route to the town of Shikarpur from the southern port city of Karachi when the collision occurred. Television channels showed live footage from the fiery crash site where rescue workers were busily evacuating dead bodies and any injured. Earlier, senior police official Rao Muhammad Anwaar said the bus “hit the oil tanker, which according to initial reports was coming in the wrong direction” and caught fire. Pakistan has an appalling record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly-maintained vehicles and reckless driving.