January 05, 2008	Saturday	Zilhaj 25, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Jan 4: A woman and her 21-month-old daughter were burnt alive in an ill-fated accident on Friday when a bus caught fire and plunged into a ravine on Chakri Road, police said.

The crowded bus heading towards Rawalpindi from Chontra was engulfed in flames near Jand village that caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

The bus veered off the road and fell into a gorge. Passengers jumped from the burning vehicle by breaking the windows. However, the woman and her child could not escape the blaze.

Though a large number of villagers from the surrounding areas reached the scene, they were unable to pull out Hifza Bibi and her little daughter Meraj, who lost their lives after being trapped in the fire.

Their charred bodies were later handed over to their relatives, who termed the tragic deaths “God’s will”.

According to the police, short-circuit triggered the fire that engulfed the entire bus.

Meanwhile, a 36-year-old man was killed in a road accident near Shamsabad, police said.

Mohammad Hussain told the police that his son, Faizul Hassan, 36, left his house in a van Thursday evening and shortly afterwards he received a phone call from a hospital that his son had suffered fatal injuries. Mr Hussain said doctors declared his son dead when he was brought to the hospital.