BAHAWALPUR: Up to 18 people were injured, of them 10 seriously, on Friday when a trailer and a bus collided head on near Ahmedpur East, according to Rescue 1122.

The bus was carrying devotees to Multan from Sindh areas to attend the annual urs of saint Bahauddin Zakariya.

The injured people were rushed to the Ahmedpur Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Of them, 10 were rushed to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH). The trailer was also damaged and its driver was ejected from the cabin after cutting it.

The police arrested the trailer driver on the charge of negligence.

BREACH: A vast tract of agricultural land was inundated due to a breach in 6-L canal near Ahmedpur East.

According to farmers, who staged a demonstration against irrigation department officials, their standing crops were damaged and the canal water also entered Model Town areas.

The demonstrators alleged that after the 30-foot breach occurred in the canal, no official attended their calls.

DENGUE: Another 13 people were tested positive for dengue virus on Friday and were admitted to the dengue ward of the BVH here.

According to doctors, the patients were continuously reaching from other cities here for medical treatment. This raised the total number to 117 of dengue patients in BVH so far.

The district health authority has established anti-dengue counters at local bus stands and railway stations to check the arriving passengers from other cities here.

District Coordinator (Preventive) Dr Zakir Hussain told Dawn that the step was taken to check the new arrivals of the commuters from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi from where the dengue positive patients were continuously pouring into the city due to which a rush of patients at the BVH.

He said the situation with regard to the dengue virus was being monitored here round the clock.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019