TAXILA: As many as eight passengers died and nine others were injured, four of them seriously, in a head-on collision between a van and dumper near Qutbal toll plaza on Saturday.

District emergency officer at Fatehjang Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Dr Mohammad Ishfaq Mian said most of the dead and injured belonged to Pindigheb city.

“Dental surgeon of the THQ Hospital Dr Mohammad Salman is among the dead,” Dr Ishfaq said.

Police held the dumper driver responsible for the accident as, according to them, he tried to recklessly overtake a vehicle and collided with the Pindigheb-bound van coming from Rawalpindi.

Three women and a child were among the dead, police said.

Witnesses and injured passengers also blamed the dumper driver for the accident.

The bodies and injured were shifted to Fatehjang for medical assistance. The dumper driver fled from the scene after the accident, rescue workers said.

The dead were identified as Ajab Khan, Sajjad Hussain, Nazakat Bibi, Samia Bibi, Fatima Bibi, Dr Mohammad Salman, Waseem Ameen and Zain Tariq.

Fatehjang police have started a search for the fleeing dumper driver after registration of a case against him.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020