TOBA TEK SINGH: A bus driver was burnt alive and seven passengers injured after their bus hit a mini-truck laden with pesticides from its back and then both vehicles caught fire at Gojra on motorway M-4 near Nawan Lahore interchange on Thursday morning.

As per passengers, the driver identified as Syed Asghar Ali of Khushab got entangled in the steering and continued crying for help till he breathed his last but flames were so much high that none of them could pull him out.

The bus was on its way to Rawalpindi from Dera Ghazi Khan and 45 passengers were traveling by it.

Seven of them received injuries. They were identified as Sana Fatima, Mugheesur Rahman, Malik Muhammad Ishfaq, Tehreem Bibi, Rashida Majeed, Athar Hussain and Abu Bakr. The bus and truck were completely gutted by fire.

In another incident, two persons died and another injured critically when a truck turned over their car on Jhang-Gojra Bypass Road on Thursday.

Reports said a speeding truck laden with potatoes first hit a road divider and then turned over a car. Rescue 1122 staffers pulled out the car from under the truck but in the meantime two car riders identified as Sanaullah (45) and his brother Habibullah (35) had already died. The third car rider identified as Sardar Ali (62) received serious wounds and he was shifted to Jhang DHQ hospital. All three were residents of Bhakkar.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2025