Six people were killed on Sunday morning when a van carrying the passengers caught on fire after hitting a gas pipeline near Attock, said police.

SHO Abbas of Saddar city circle confirmed that six people were killed while two were critically injured and moved to a hospital in Rawalpindi.

The van was travelling from Rawalpindi to Peshawar when it collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction at Abbottabad Chowk on Hassan Abdaal road. The van then hit the main gas pipeline in the area and a fire erupted, engulfing the vehicle.

According to rescue officials, the bodies of the deceased have been severely burnt and therefore, identification through DNA testing may not be possible.

Police personnel as well as rescue officials arrived at the scene of the incident soon after the blaze was reported and gained control over the fire shortly after. The bodies were then removed from the van and transferred to District Headquarters Hospital Hassan Abdaal.