RAWALPINDI:

At least 16 people were killed and six others injured in a traffic accident on the Swat Expressway on Monday after a passenger van crashed into a parked bus, according to the Motorway Police.

Officials of the National Highways and Motorway Police said a passenger bus travelling from Karachi to Buner had been parked along the roadside on the Swat Expressway when a passenger van travelling from Rawalpindi to Dir rammed into it from behind. The impact of the collision was so severe that the van was badly crushed.

Rescue teams and Motorway Police personnel reached the scene after receiving information about the accident and shifted the deceased and injured to Mardan Medical Complex. Authorities said the deceased included men, women, elderly persons and children.

Initial reports suggested that the accident occurred due to alleged negligence and reckless driving by the van driver, who crashed into the stationary bus from the rear. Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident. In a statement, he extended his condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families, describing the loss of precious human lives as “extremely tragic”.

He said the injured were being provided with the best possible medical care and added that the provincial government stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the affected families during this difficult time.