By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A bus crash on Islamabad-Lahore Motorway killed nine people, including four children, and injured 30 others Sunday morning after a tire blowout sent the vehicle into a ditch near the Balkassar Interchange.
A spokesperson for Chakwal Rescue 1122 said the bus, carrying more than 40 passengers from Islamabad to Lahore, overturned after the driver lost control. Eight people died at the scene, including the driver, while a ninth succumbed to injuries at the hospital, according to an initial police statement.
“Nine people died in the accident and 30 were injured,” said Dr. Saeed Akhter, chief executive officer of the Chakwal District Health Authority, confirming the toll. The victims included four children, an eight-month-old infant, a one-year-old, and two sisters aged 14 and two, whose deaths underscored the tragedy’s toll on families. The eldest among the deceased was 45. The injured, aged 16 to 55, included the mother of the two sisters and a woman from the Philippines, Emy Dela Cruz, who is married in Lahore.
Rescue 1122 deployed six vehicles to the site, joined by the National Highways and Motorway Police, Chakwal police, and the Frontier Works Organisation. “Our rescue teams responded with professional expertise, providing immediate medical aid to the injured and transporting the deceased to the hospital,” said Chakwal Rescue and Safety Officer Shaukat Ali.
The wounded were rushed to nearby facilities, some to Kallar Kahar Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, others to Chakwal’s District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital. Dr. Mukhtar Sarwar Niazi, medical superintendent at DHQ Hospital said four of the 12 patients brought there were critically injured and were being transferred to Rawalpindi for advanced treatment.
Chakwal Deputy Commissioner Sarah Hayat and Assistant Commissioner Zeeshan Sharif visited DHQ Hospital, where Hayat ordered staff to provide “all possible medical facilities” to the victims. “We’re ensuring no effort is spared,” she said after receiving a briefing on the crash.
Chakwal District Police Officer Ahmed Mohiuddin dispatched senior officers to the scene. “The site has been cordoned off, and police are acting as per law,” a police spokesperson said.
Shaukat Ali pointed to a preventable factor: vehicle maintenance. “Ensure complete vehicle fitness checks—especially tyre, brake, and steering system inspections—before embarking on long journeys to prevent such tragic incidents,” he urged.
Sunday’s crash is the latest in a string of fatal accidents plaguing Pakistan’s roads, where overspeeding, reckless overtaking, and lax adherence to traffic rules claim countless lives. On July 13, a bus crash on the same M2 motorway near Chakri Interchange killed six and injured 27. On February 28, eight passengers died when a Karachi-bound bus plunged into a ditch near Bhagal village, just kilometers from Balkassar. Last August, 27 were injured in yet another M2 overturn near Sial Mor.
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