13 burnt to death

576

HASSANABDAL July 30 (TNS): At least thirteen people including women and children were killed and four others injured as a passenger van collided with a truck near Abbott Chowk in Hassanabdal city.

The ill-fated van, travelling from Rawalpindi to Peshawar, caught fire after hitting a gas pipeline following collision with the truck.

Rescue teams immediately arrived at the scene and shifted the bodies and injured persons to nearby hospitals.

Expressing grief over loss of lives, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the concerned authorities to submit a report on the incident.

Pakistan has an appalling record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.