ISLAMABAD: Three officials of the Customs Intelligence and a driver died in a car accident on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway while they were chasing smugglers early Wednesday.

Five Customs officials were chasing a group of smugglers in squad vehicle when their car slipped on a road that was wet due to heavy rain and plunged into a depression along the M-1 near Bahtar interchange.

As a result of the accident, four Customs Intelligence employees including three sepoys and a driver died on the spot while one official survived with minor injuries, Customs official Imtiaz said.

The bodies and injured were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

An official of National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) said last year that a total of 282 accidents occurred on M-1 during the six year period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013. Out of these accidents, 77 were fatal while 205 were non-fatal.