At least 20 people burnt alive and six injured when a passenger bus collided with an oil tanker near Uch Sharif on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) in the wee hours of Tuesday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The accident occurred on the Motorway M5 in Uch Sharif near Multan where a bus going to Karachi from Lahore collided with an oil tanker due to which both vehicles caught fire, killing at least 20 persons

The passenger bus which left Lahore at 9:00 pm on Monday night was heading for Karachi when it met the accident on Motorway 5 at 2:00 am.

https://twitter.com/ghulamabbasshah/status/1559377273173811204

Motorway police and rescue teams reached the spot after the accident and started rescue operation. Rescue sources said that 26 persons including driver and conductor were travelling on the bus.

Rescue teams rescued eight persons in injured condition and shifted them to hospital where two injured persons succumbed to their wounds during treatment while 18 dead bodies were recovered so far from the wreckage of the bus.

Multan Deputy Commissioner Tahir Wattoo confirmed the incident in a statement, saying that the passenger bus, which was travelling from Lahore to Karachi, hit the oil tanker from the rear side at Jalalpur Peerwala interchange on the Motorway.

https://twitter.com/CommissionerMu2/status/1559369490227396609

A fire erupted after the collision and 20 people died on the spot, the statement added.

Later, Multan Commissioner Amir Khattak also confirmed the development in a tweet. He said the accident had taken place early Tuesday.

Photographs shared by him showed that the bus and the oil tanker were completely burnt in the incident.

The bodies were so burnt that none of them has yet been identified.

So of the passengers who booked their tickets in Lahore were identified as Anus Shahid, Ashraf, Adil Shahid, Shahid Yaqub, Hashir Ahmad, Hassan, Abdul Nafeh, Naveed Ashraf, Muhammad Irfan, Zahid, Muhammad Mudasir, Muhammad Ahmad, Riaz and Usman.

PM Shehbaz saddened by tragic accident

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed condolences over the tragic accident on Motorway near Multan.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Shehbaz Sharif said “The oil tanker accident at Jalalpur Pirwala Interchange is very tragic. Saddened and saddened by the loss of 20 precious lives in the accident.”

The prime minister further said “My prayers are with the bereaved families. We pray to Allah Almighty to give the deceased a place in His mercy and give patience to the bereaved.”

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1559409197212655616

Reporter Yasir Majeed