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ISLAMABAD: With swelling road accidents in diverse area of Pakistan which have become a routine of almost every-day, another 41 passengers of a minibus, commuting in a vicinity — close to the capital city of Islamabad — were killed with more than a dozen seriously injured on Wednesday.

The tragedy took place when the minibus collided with trawler and ran off a bridge on the outskirts of the Federal Capital in the wee hours of Wednesday, which eye witnesses say was 6:00 am [PST] that is [01:00 GMT]. Though road mishaps are now a regular feature, taking a lot of human lives almost every day, it was the first-ever worst road mishap around Islamabad, which set off a state of alarm and panic in the adjacent localities, exclusively the town of Kalar Syedan which received the optimal number of the dead-ones.

Pakistan’s first independent daily web newspaper, ‘Pakistan Times’ understands that the accident occurred when a passenger bus from Kalar Syedan bound for Rawalpindi was hit by a 22-wheeler trawler and plunged into ravine. At least 60 passengers were on board when the accident happened.

The site of the accident was the point at the 70-foot-high Kaak bridge, 25 kilometers east of the capital.

The Dead & The Injured

Rescue teams transported dead bodies and the injured to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Federal Government Services Hospital (Policlinic) and DHQ, Rawalpindi. 40 persons died on the spot, police said. Drivers and conductors of the trailer and passenger bus were among the dead.

However, some 4 dead bodies were still unidentified while the remaining bodies were handed over to their legal heirs and dependents.

The bridge where the shocking incident took place is in the process of remodeling and renovation for the last six to seven years.

The names of the dead identified by the police so far are, Ghazanfar Ali, Ghulam Mehboob, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Raiz, Muhammad Sagir, Muhammad Zaheer, Karamat Hussain, Khuda Dad, Muhammad Shafiq, Abid Hussain, Shakeel Ahmed, Muhammad Mukhtar, Haji Bashir Ahmed, Muhammad Safeer, Shahid Mehmood, Muhammad Imtiaz, Muhammad Habib, Azmat, Kashif Mehmood, Muhammad Yasin, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ulumar, Muhammad Taj, Zaid Mehmood, Noor Saleem, Raja Tanvir, Arshad Mehmood and Muhammad Tabraz.

The injured included- Mushtaq Hussain, Shahzad, Akbar, Tariq Mehmood, Nazia Yasmeen, Kiran Buksh who were admitted in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) while other nine victims were brought to the Federal Government Services Hospital (Policlinic) whose condition is now out of dangers..

Backdrop

Fatal road accidents are becoming common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are frequently disregarded and public transport drivers often work long hours.

On June 6, a truck packed with pilgrims lost control and fell into a ravine near Abbottabad, killing 40 people and wounding three others.

President, PM Grieved

President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the accident in which many precious lives have been lost.

They directed the hospital authorities to provide best possible treatment facilities to the injured of the accident.

In their messages to the bereaved families who lost their beloved ones; they prayed for the departed souls to rest in peace and give courage to the families to bear this irreparable loss.