CHAKWAL: Five passengers lost their lives while 24 others sustained injuries after a passenger bus plunged into a ravine near Talagang, police and Rescue 1122 said on Wednesday.

The bus was travelling from Rawalpindi to Bahawalpur. The driver was also among those who died.

According to police and rescue officials, the incident occurred at around 2:15am on Wednesday.

“The motorway was shut due to fog. Instead of abstaining from travelling, the bus driver opted for an alternative route and chose the Rawalpindi–Talagang Road,” Station House Officer of Saddar Police Station Talagang, Adeel Safdar, told Dawn.

He added that while passing through Dhoke Pathan village, located on the bank of the Soan River, the driver lost control on a winding stretch of the road and the bus plunged into a 100-foot-deep ravine.

As a result, five passengers, including the driver, died on the spot, while 24 others were injured. Following the accident, personnel of Rescue 1122 and the police rushed to the scene. With the help of local villagers, rescuers retrieved the bodies and the injured from the wreckage.

“Fifteen officials and five emergency vehicles took part in the rescue operation, which lasted for more than two hours,” said Qazi Muhammad Akram, media coordinator of Rescue 1122.

Four of the deceased were identified as 56-year-old Abdul Sattar, 40-year-old Zia Ahmed from Kotli Sattiyan, 33-year-old Mohammad Ishaq from Lodhran and 45-year-old Ramzan from Multan. The fifth body could not be identified.

“We have shifted the bodies to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Talagang, while all the injured were taken to City Hospital Talagang,” District Rescue Officer Dr Mohammad Atique told Dawn. “The driver was unaware of the dangerous stretch of the road, which has a steep descent with blind curves, while intense fog further complicated the situation,” the SHO added.

The accident occurred at the same spot where a passenger bus crashed in November 2017, leaving 24 people dead and 67 injured. A police official said all the injured passengers were being examined at the hospital and were in stable condition.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2026