KARAK, July 30: At least 17 passengers were burnt alive when a coach caught fire after colliding with a truck on the Indus Highway here on Tuesday.

According to witnesses, gas cylinder of the coach going to Peshawar from Dera Ismail Khan exploded after the collision near Amberi Kalla Chowk. The truck was loaded with mangoes.

Khalid Khattak, an eyewitness, told Dawn that none of the passengers could find time to get out of the coach and escape the inferno. The driver and cleaner of the truck fled the scene after the accident.

Local people rushed to the area and tried to rescue the passengers from the burning coach. But they failed to do so and helplessly saw the passengers burning alive inside the coach.

Police with the help of local people retrieved the charred bodies and moved them to hospitals in Karak. Most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.