From the news desk

Fatal bus crashes kill 65 in Pakistan

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At least 65 people were killed in two separate road accidents in Pakistan on Sunday, officials said, as a dense fog continued to envelop the country.

A head-on collision between a passenger bus and an oil tanker in the southern city of Karachi killed 59 people with remains of most victims charred beyond recognition, Sindh province Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said.

A fire that erupted after the collision engulfed both vehicles, burning most victims alive, Memon said.

More than 50 bodies were charred beyond recognition, said doctor Seemi Jamali at Karachi’s Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center.

She said the hospital was conducting DNA tests to identify the victims.

The bus was en route to the port city of Karachi when the collision occurred, Memon said.

Heavy fog, rash driving and the use of outdated fuel kits in the bus might have caused the accident and the fire, provincial Transport Minister Mumtaz Jakhrani said.

Television footage showed rescue workers cutting the vehicle to pull the bodies and survivors out of the burning bus.

Hours later, another passenger overturned on a highway in south-western Balochistan province, killing six people and injuring many others, provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said.

Heavy fog enveloped most parts of Pakistan for a fifth week, delaying flights and causing road traffic disruption.

At least 60 people were killed in a similar crash in the same area in November last year.

About 5,000 people die in road accidents every year in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. SAPA


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