SAHIWAL, July 23: Three people were killed and 29 others sustained injuries on Friday when a speeding bus overturned on Noorshah-Faisalabad Road near Chak 48/GD.

Those killed were: Aqeel (12) of Arifwala, Samiullah (10) of Ihata Baidian, Sahiwal, and an unidentified person. Among the injured, the condition of 13 passengers was described as critical.

They were: Shabana, Kaneezan, Naseem Bibi, Imtiaz Bibi, her husband Madad Ali, Abbas (25), Abdul Ghani, Khalida Afzal (45), her son Burhan Afzal (16), Shahida, two unidentified children and a youth, aged about 20. All the injured were admitted to Noorshah and Sahiwal DHQ hospitals.

The speeding bus (JA-5052) of New Chaudhry Company was going to Haroonabad from Faisalabad when it overturned and then smashed into a roadside tree due to failure of its tie-rod.

LOOTED: Armed bandits on Thursday night struck three times and looted cash and valuables and also took away eight cattle. Unidentified dacoits took away eight animals, including two valuable cows, at pistol point from the outhouse of late Latif Moghal, the former MPA and district PML-Q secretary-general.

The armed men locked employees Abdul Razzaq, Yousaf and Ismail in a room before fleeing. The animals were worth over half a million rupees. The second incident occurred in Shah Kot village. Armed bandits entered the house of kiln owner Mumtaz, held the inmates hostage, collected cash and valuables worth Rs170,000 and fled while firing in the air.

Six armed bandits entered the house of Hanif at Chak 127/9-L. The intruders held the family hostage, scooped cash and ornaments valuing Rs56,000 and escaped. Police have registered separate cases with no arrest.