A multi-vehicle collision on the Islamabad- Peshawar Motorway (M-1) on Tuesday killed two people and injured 10 others, including three women, according to Swabi Rescue 1122 officials.

Swabi Rescue 1122 spokesperson Luqman, while speaking to Dawn, said that a trailer initially met with an accident on the motorway and blocked the road. As a result, multiple vehicles collided with each other.

One vehicle occupant was killed on the spot, while the other was pronounced dead by medical staff at a hospital. The vehicles involved in the pile-up were travelling to Peshawar from Islamabad.

Traffic on the M-1 was disrupted following the incident. Motorway police said its teams were at the incident site soon after the mishap and started initial rescue operations.

Rescue personnel shifted the injured to Bacha Khan Teaching Hospital and an emergency was declared at the medical facility.

The hospital’s spokesperson, Rahan Yousafzai, confirmed they received two bodies and 10 injured from the incident. He added that five of the injured are in critical condition.

“The hospital director put all emergency staff on high alert and the required facilities were provided to the injured,” added Rahan.

Traffic was later restored on the vital artery after the vehicle wrecks were removed by emergency personnel.

Fatal road accidents on highways occur frequently in Pakistan, with the main reasons including overspeeding, hazardous overtaking and disregard for traffic rules.

Earlier this month, at least 24 people were killed and over 20 were injured in two separate accidents, as a truck fell into a dry canal in Punjab’s Sargodha district and a coach overturned near Balochistan’s Ormara tehsil.