ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: At least 12 persons were killed and 54 injured in a head on collision between two passenger buses here on Saturday. A passenger bus (LRC-4290) coming to Islamabad from Lahore rammed into a pick-up (MHA-3977) after the bus came on GT Road from Bangril Link Road near Rawat. After hitting the pick-up, the uncontrolled bus took a U-turn, went to the other lane and collided with another overcrowded passenger bus (IDS-7990) going to Lahore from Peshawar.

As a result, seven passengers of the two buses died on the spot and several other passengers and two riders of the pick-up suffered multiple injuries, including head injuries.

Patrolling officers of the National Highways and Motorway Police rushed to the spot after herring about the accident. Keeping in view the gravity of the accident, other policemen were also called.

Cutter was used to evacuate the victims form the buses. The bodies and injured were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi and Rawalpindi General Hospital.

Five of those injured died while being taken to hospitals.

The deceased include Sukhi Khan 43, Javad Iqbal, residents of Attock, Gul Nawaz, 34, bus conductor Zafar Khan, resident of Peshawar, Kashif, 3, three-month-old Asad and Mohammad Rafiq, residents of Faizabad.

Five of the deceased are yet to be identified. They include an eight-month old child, a 35-year old woman, a 50-year old man, a 25-year old man and a woman.

Both the buses with baggage of passengers were handed over to the Sihala police. An FIR has been lodged against the drivers of the pick-up and a bus (LRC-4290.)