SWABI: Two passengers were killed and 12 others injured as a speeding bus struck a loaded dumper from behind at the Swabi Interchange on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway in the wee hours on Wednesday, Rescue 1122 officials said.

They said the bus was going to Peshawar from Karachi, adding the rescuers were informed by one of the passengers about the incident occurred at 5.45am. It was still dark and they confronted hurdles in rescue efforts, the officials said.

Luqman Khan, a Rescue 1122 official, said when a rescue team reached the site, the motorway police were already there but they were not in a position to handle the situation.

The passengers who remained unhurt helped the rescuers retrieve the bodies and the injured from the wreckage of the bus.

Mr Luqman said two of the 12 injured passengers were shifted to Mardan Medical Complex in critical condition. The other patients were taken to Mardan and Swabi hospitals.

The deceased passengers were identified as Zarwali Khan and Zayarat Khan, both belonging to Landi Kotal tehsil of the Khyber tribal district.

“The bus driver failed to control the vehicle and hit the dumper in full speed,” said an official who supervised the rescue operation.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2020