14 passengers burnt to death after van catches fire in accident near Rawalpindi
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At least 14 people, including four children, lost their lives on Tuesday when a passenger van rammed into a trailer and caught fire near Chakri interchange, Rawalpindi, said motorway police.
The Rawalpindi-bound Hiace van caught fire after crashing into a trailer from behind, National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) Inspector Mahmood Khokhar told DawnNews.
Firefighters doused the fire before rescuing the injured. Three children were among the five passengers who died on the spot; the remaining injured were rushed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad, where nine more people succumbed to their burn wounds, said Khokhar.
Two women were among the three injured who were later taken to the Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Khokhar added.
The survivors are also in a critical condition, said the NH&MP official.
The condition of the bodies is beyond recognition, so DNA tests were being carried out to ascertain the deceased's identities, he added.
Initial reports suggest that the fire erupted due to the CNG cylinders fitted in the van. The driver of the van was identified as Asif.
Officials, however, believe that the bus driver was responsible for the accident as he had allegedly fallen asleep and lost control of the vehicle.
Close to 9,000 road accidents are reported to the police every year since 2011, killing over 4,500 people on average, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
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Comments (33) Closed
Sep 12, 2017 01:04pm
Another tragic incident, killing 14 innocent people. Initial report indicates that accident occurred due to faulty CNG cylinder either fitted or burst due to malfunction. In my view, lack of training, cylinders fitted by incompetent people, no safety tests and gas leakage are the main causes of such incidents and need to be addressed immediately, otherwise, similar incidents will continue to occur. Who will introduce and implement such safety measures, as government is busy elsewhere!
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Sep 12, 2017 01:06pm
No rules and regulations, no checks and balance., No proper training, No vehicle's and driver's fitness, no roads and passenger's safety measures. A human life has no value in our country. And the corrupt ruler mafia who looted this country for over 30 years and could not deliver anything, are now again asking for votes in order to get their "license to plunder" renewed for the next 5 looting years.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:12pm
RIP poor souls. When there is no check n balance such tragedies can't be stopped.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:13pm
Highly frightful ghastly accident. May the departed souls rest in peace and their families get courage to bear the irreparable loss. Such accidents due to the fatigued drivers are becoming more and more common and need to be regulated by law. All night coach drivers must have co-drivers and must be checked regularly by the motorway police.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:14pm
Is it a van or a bus? and then you can say bus drier or van driver
Was the trailer parked or traveling?
14 dead and survivors are in addition to that which means total number of people travelling were more? would be good to include that.
and perhaps you can touch upon the fact that a hiace van is supposed to seat a certain amount of people (15 i believe) and in this case were there more?
Also highlight how the commuter drivers don't sleep from 24 hour stretches and companies hire them on the basis of a 24 hour work day.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:17pm
These Hi-Aces are modified version with their standard number of seats removed, replaced with far greater number of seats to cram the passengers. The greed for making more money per trip drives them do such changes. When will we have transport standards in this country? I guess not, we shall remain suffering in our miseries and shortcuts, risking our lives and others.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:20pm
Irresponsibility and insensitive behavior have been claiming lives all across the country. Be it at shore, road or fire eruption accidents. Lives have no value for us.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:24pm
CNG should be banned in public transport
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Sep 12, 2017 01:26pm
Very sad incident. RIP
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Sep 12, 2017 01:34pm
if driver abide by traffic rules then there will be significant decrease in number of these mishaps.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:39pm
It is sad that due to absence of public transport people have to travel in private transport that is unsafe,expensive and inconveniant.The governement should ensure the applicability of all safety Laws upon these private companies who most often than not act as mafias.Conversly,people have no choice but to succumb to the arm twisting tactics of privatetransport owners.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:40pm
Why are Pakistani poor lives so cheap. Incidents after incidents happen, but we are not even being reactive to take countermeasures and implement traffic safety.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:41pm
Are there any check and balances of who is driving and condition of the vehicle? When is someone going to take a stand on this?
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Sep 12, 2017 01:56pm
@Anti-Corruption_Pakistani The accident did not occur due to the faulty CNG cylinder of the van. It occured due to the carelessness on the part of bus driver who "allegedly fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle". The van crashed with the bus, and afterwards, CNG cylinder leaked(understandably) and the van caught fire.
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Sep 12, 2017 01:57pm
How many more lives we will lose before our soulless government wakes up and bans these cylinders from these passenger vans.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:03pm
In my opinion, the CNG fitted public vehicles must be banned immediately. The vehicle owners charge the same fare as compared to the petrol or diesels engine vehicle.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:03pm
Really sad! Deepest Condolences to effected families,
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Sep 12, 2017 02:07pm
Inside cameras should be compulsory in every public private vehicles. At least we can aware of the fault. Its not a kind of big deals.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:07pm
Pay taxes honestly and the system will provide you good transport systems so that you don't have to travel on bullock cart style vans where the seats are removed.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:09pm
Very sad.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:14pm
Breaks my heart to read such sad news and loss of innocent lives! Please for God's sake put vehicle safety and road safety laws in place!
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Sep 12, 2017 02:16pm
Cause of accident as reported: van's fitness and driver's fitness. Whosoever is negligent will have to pay the price, if not here then on the day of judgement.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:31pm
this is exactly why computer controlled cars and buses will be much safer in the long run. Computers don't get tired and don't fall asleep.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:41pm
Do we pay salary to our road safety agency staff? If yes, why we only remember them after accidents? I was surprised not seeing any road accident news since last few days.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:45pm
Another incident showing the collapse of all institutions. In Pakistan you can get driving license, vehicle fitness certificate and what not. The end result is obvious.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:47pm
May all those who died RIP...Accidents like these and many other happens and people die, when we carry casual attitude for safety and when everyone believe safety in a expense and a useless thing to be taken care for...people drawing on picnic, market are burnt, building collapse, people burnt in hunt for few litres of fuel....and the list goes on and we are not learning from any of those tragedies.
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Sep 12, 2017 02:55pm
The tendency of such accidents cannot be checked un-till and up-till the Motorways Police establishes a CCTV system on Motorways known as PTV Vissim and PTV Visum to watch each and every parcel of Road closely and to respond such incidents swiftly. The post crash scenario is worse in Pakistan due to lack of Intelligent Transport system.The system can be aligned with the Coralay centre of France.
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Sep 12, 2017 03:06pm
CNG, similar accident took place here two months ago....what a pity
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Sep 12, 2017 03:09pm
very unfortunate and tragic incident which claims the innocent lives , the use of CNG gas cylinders should outrightly be banned to use in public vehicles and even also be discouraged in private vehicles.
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Sep 12, 2017 04:04pm
Why Don't the STATE PUT a BAN on use of CNG cylinders in Public transport besides implementing strict checks and balances on quality and fixation of Cylinders.
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Sep 12, 2017 04:43pm
RIP poor souls
Death by burning is number one pain in world
May it nor repeat to anyone
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Sep 12, 2017 07:42pm
Through out the globe people travel by buses so this is very normal and common method of travelling and none is killed alike except in Pakistan which is very tragic and sorrowful. Neither our buses are worthy to be run on roads nor our drivers are well paid and tasked to drive few hours instead one driver drives all the way from Karachi to Peshawar. Many times tankers passed on road side are hit by buses or coasters resulting in loss of human lives. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi.formerdiplomat@hotmail.com
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Sep 13, 2017 05:44pm
Licence are given to these illegal illerate on money by traffic dept not by driving quality
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