ABBOTABAD: At least eight people were killed and 30 others injured when a passenger bus collided with a dumper truck near the Havelian Interchange on the Hazara Motorway early Friday morning, rescue officials said.

The bus was travelling from Gilgit to Rawalpindi when the accident occurred. Initial reports suggested that a tyre burst caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle before it collided with the truck, the Rescue 1122 statement said.

Following the incident, Rescue 1122 Abbottabad dispatched seven ambulances and a rescue vehicle to the scene to carry out relief operations.

The rescue operation, led by District Emergency Officer Hafeezur Rehman, was completed successfully. Rescue personnel provided first aid to the injured before shifting them to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The bodies of the eight deceased, who reportedly belonged to Gilgit, were transported to different hospitals. One body was taken to Type-D Hospital in Havelian, while four were shifted to Ayub Medical Complex and three to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Abbottabad/

All 30 injured passengers, including five children and six women, were shifted to Ayub Medical Complex for medical treatment. The condition of four injured passengers was reported to be critical, added the statement.

A day earlier, a collision between a passenger bus and truck claimed the lives of 11 people and left 33 others injured near Pakpattan.

Last week, at least five people were killed and 27 others injured when a passenger bus plunged into a drain in Punjab’s Hafizabad district.