At least three people died and 12 were injured early on Thursday morning when a passenger coach erupted into flames after colliding with a motorcycle in Balochistan’s Lasbela district, officials said.

Lasbela Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) captain (rtd) Naveed Alam confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com.

According to him, the coach was heading from Karachi to Quetta when the accident occurred in Lasbela’s Uthal tehsil.

Police and rescue officials rushed to the site of the incident upon receiving the alert and immediately began rescue efforts, SSP Alam said.

Seven injured passengers, including children, were first taken out of the vehicle by breaking its windowpanes, the police official said. Another five injured were rescued while extinguishing the fire, he added.

The motorcycle rider died on the spot, while two other charred bodies were found in the coach after search operations began once the fire had been extinguished, SSP Alam said. The rescue operation was completed in four hours, he added.

Alam stated that while the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, eyewitnesses attributed the accident to overspeeding and reckless driving.

According to Dr Hakeem Laasi, incharge of Lasbela Edhi Service, critically injured passengers were sent to Karachi for further treatment via Edhi ambulances after being administered first aid.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti has ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident, as well as for medical aid to be provided to the injured. He also expressed his sorrow over the incident.

“Rescue operations began immediately, and seven of the injured passengers were taken to the hospital,” read a statement posted on X by an official account of the government of Balochistan. “The accident, which was caused by over taking, led to a loss of life.”

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed his sorrow over the incident.

“Deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of life in the tragic accident,” Naqvi said in a statement on X. He expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and prayed for the deceased.

Last month, at least 28 people died and 22 were injured after a bus fell into a ravine in Washuk, Balochistan.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the passenger coach was heading from Quetta to Karachi. The error is regretted.