LAHORE: At least five people were killed and 27 others injured when a passenger bus plunged into a drain in Punjab’s Hafizabad district on Thursday, according to Rescue 1122.

Rescue services said the mishap occurred in the Fatehke area of Pindi Bhattian tehsil. The bus was reportedly on its way from Raiwind to Chiniot.

According to rescue officials, overspeeding caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Soon after the accident, teams from Rescue 1122 reached the site and launched rescue operations.

The injured were provided with first aid at the scene while 20 of them were also taken to hospital, Rescue 1122 said.

With the assistance of the local government, a crane was used to lift the bus, after which the bodies of five victims were recovered from beneath the vehicle.

Rescue teams continued their search operation amid fears that more passengers might be trapped under the wreckage.

Five rescue vehicles participated in the operation, Rescue 1122 said.

Last week, 12 passengers were killed and around two dozen injured when a minibus and a passenger coach collided head-on near Zero Point in Uthal on the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Balochistan.

The accident occurred two days after 10 people were killed and 44 others injured when a passenger bus overturned after hitting a road divider in Rajanpur district’s Rojhan tehsil on the Indus Highway on Wednesday.