ABBOTTABAD: At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured when a passenger coach collided with a dumper on the Hazara Motorway near Havelian Interchange in Abbottabad, authorities said, prompting officials to declare an emergency at major hospitals in the city.
The bus, traveling from Gilgit to Rawalpindi, crashed after one of its tires burst, according to Rescue 1122. The rescue service initially reported three fatalities and 16 injured passengers.
Rescue teams, comprising seven ambulances and a rescue vehicle, took part in the operation and shifted the injured to hospitals for treatment. The deceased initially included two women and a man, all reportedly from Gilgit.
The deputy commissioner of Abbottabad said the injured were taken to Ayub Teaching Hospital, Type-D Hospital Havelian and the District Headquarters Hospital, where they were receiving medical treatment.
An emergency was also declared at Benazir Shaheed Hospital and Ayub Medical Complex to ensure immediate medical assistance to the injured.
Additional Assistant Commissioner Havelian Muhammad Usama visited the accident site early in the morning on the deputy commissioner's instructions and later supervised arrangements at Ayub Teaching Hospital.
Further details about the identities of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the accident were awaited.
