27 die in collision between oil tanker and bus in Pakistan; officials say lack of facilities delayed medical aid to injured

Karachi: At least 27 people were killed and over a dozen others injured when an oil tanker collided with a passenger bus in the Hub area of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, police said Tuesday. The accident took place in the Lasbela district on Monday when the bus, travelling to Panjgur from Karachi and carrying 40 passengers, was hit by the tanker coming from the opposite direction, the police said. [caption id=“attachment_3364318” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “A huge fire erupted after the accident as the tanker was carrying Iranian diesel,” a senior official said. “The passengers started jumping out of the bus to save their lives but many were trapped inside as the flames engulfed the bus and the tanker,” he added. The official said 27 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, Geo news reported. “All of them died from burn injuries,” Lasbela deputy commissioner Shabir Mengal said. He said that six of the 16 injured were in critical condition. A rescue official of the Edhi Foundation said due to the absence of facilities and ambulances the injured were shifted to Karachi after a long delay. He said most of the bodies recovered were burnt beyond recognition. Balochistan province, borders oil-rich Iran from where millions of gallons of fuel is illegally transported to Pakistan. Deadly traffic accidents are very common in Pakistan owing to reckless driving and the bad condition of roads. Every year hundreds of people lose their lives in traffic related incidents in the country.