CHAKWAL, July 12: Seven passengers were killed and 17 others injured after a bus met with an accident on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) in the Salt Range on Friday.

The bus (FS-5676) was going to Faisalabad from Rawalpindi. When it was slopping off near Pir Khara Shrine, its gear developed fault and the driver lost control. As a result, the vehicle rammed into the protection wall and overturned. However, it narrowly escaped from falling into the ravine.

The bodies and the injured persons were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital Chakwal.

Five of the deceased were identified as Mahnoor, 9, Iqra Shafqat, 17, her brother Umar Ali, 9, Shahbaz and Naeem Hayat. “The two dead who could not be identified are aged 45 and 30,” Dr Ikramul Haq of the DHQ hospital told Dawn.

He added that three injured were referred to Rawalpindi due to their serious condition.

“The 14 injured persons got fractures on different parts of their bodies but they are out of danger,” he added.

The picnic tour of the family of Shafqat Shah turned into a tragedy as they lost a daughter and a son. “We had gone to Murree along with the family of my brother who is settled in Rawalpindi,” Shah said.

“My daughter Iqra Shafqat and son Umar Ali were killed.” Iqra was a student of 10th grade while Umar Ali was in 4th class. He claimed that the driver was driving recklessly to overtake other vehicles when the accident occurred.

The injured included Qazi Abrarul Haq, 29, his wife Sumaira, 22, and their four-year-old son Ayan from Cheecha Watni; Mariam, 30, her son Sharjeel Ahmad, 5, and daughter Laiba, 7, from Samundri; Mohammad Jameel, 24, from Layyah, Mohammad Umar from Phulanrwal, Musarat, 30, and her daughter Ume Kalsoom, 18-month-old, from Bhalwal; Mohammad Iqbal, 45, from Tandlianwala, Nasreen, 34, from Jhang, Abdul Sattar, 40, from Samundri and Ejaz Ali, 23, from Kot Moman.

“Apparently, the bus went out of control as its gear developed some fault,” said DPO Kashif Mushtaq Kanju. He said the driver had not been identified as the injured persons could not recognise him.

Provincial minister Ashfaq Sarwar, who had reached Chakwal to inspect the Ramzan bazaar, also visited the hospital along with MNA Iffat Liaquat and MPA Mahvish Sultana.