A collision between a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and car near Sheikhupura have left at least 15 people dead. An assistant sub-inspector was travelling in the car to Police Lines, Manawala along with a constable.

According to reports, there were 10 children among the 15 dead. 20 people have been reported injured so far. Reports suggest that heavy fog was a major cause behind the accident.

Eyewitnesses reveal that the tanker caught fire immediately after coming into contact with the car, with the fire spreading to multiple other vehicles nearby.

Vehicles were set ablaze include a rickshaw carrying school children while nearby shops also caught fire owing to the petroleum that was sprayed because of the tanker's collision.

“According to initial information, a car was making a U-turn and struck the tanker,” senior local police official Latif Gujjar told AFP.

He added that two cars, two rickshaws that were carrying children to school, and two motorbikes had been destroyed and the bodies of the dead were badly charred.

“The loss of life was mainly caused by the tanker fire,” he added.

Local rescue official Muhammad Azam confirmed the incident and number of casualties, adding the dead included two women.

The injured have been shifted to hospitals in Lahore and Faisalabad.