According to police, a bus no NWFP-K 9805 was going to Rawalpindi from Lahore. When it reached near local motorway police office at Chak Akka, the speedy bus, while negotiating a turn, turned turtle and plunged into the deep ditch.
As a result, 18 persons died on the spot, while 38 others received injuries. The injured were shifted to the local civil and district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals.
The local police and civil officers reached the site and supervised the rescue operation.
BR CORRESPONDENT IN MULTAN ADDS: At least seven children of a private school have died when their vehicle collided head-on with a Kot Addu-bound coach due to thick fog near Chowk Azam, Leiah district, some 100 miles north-west of here on Saturday.
"Of seven children, three of the same family were killed, and another 16 injured when a Toyota Hiluxe carrier carrying students of a local private educational institution collided head-on with Coach No. LRO-9255 coming from Lahore on Saturday, while a truck No. DNA-4774 rammed into this vehicle from back side because its driver could not see it due to thick fog," Chowk DSP Azam Mirza Muhammad Ramzan Baig told Business Recorder on phone.
He said that six children, Nadeem, Faheem, and Waseem sons of Sajjad Khaira of Rehmatabad, Mohsin Nawaz, Wahid Bakhsh, Manzoor Hussain of Chak No.394/TDA died on the spot, while Saeed Ahmed died on way to hospital.
Another three seriously injured students Shahid Abbas, Samar Abbas and Rashida Bibi were removed to the Nishtar Hospital, Multan while passengers of the coach sustained minor injuries, said the DSP, adding this mishap was actually occurred due to tractor trolley loaded with sugarcane which was parked on the road side because of developing technical fault and drivers could not see it due to foggy season.