THATTA- At least 23 persons including two women were killed and 18 others injured some of them seriously in a head on collision between a passenger van and a bus near Gujjo close to the district town of Thatta on National Highway on Sunday evening. According to eye witnesses, the Karachi-bound van was coming from Badin and trying to speedily over take a bus when it collided with another bus No-AJ 8502 coming from opposite direction from Karachi at National Highway. All the 17 passengers travelling in the van including two women, the driver of the van and the conductor died on the spot. However, miraculously two children between the ages of 5 to 6 travelling in the van survived the crash in which reportedly their parents died. Two passenger of the bus involved in the accident also died. As many as 19 passengers died on the spot while two succumbed to their injuries in Civil Hospital Makli. Two critical injured were shifted to Karachi Some of the deceased were identified as Abdul Ghaffar son of Abdul Sattar, Vishu Kohli, Abdul Hafeez Khuhro, Muhammad Ali Gadahi, Imdad Bambhro and Ms. Hoor. Deceased Abdul Ghaffar is said to be a personnel of law-enforcement agency coming from Matli. The identity of other deceased could not be ascertained till filing of this report. Wajahat Ali, resident of Chuhar Jamali who was travelling in the bus was injured said that the gory accident took place as speedy van tried to overtake another bus. Villagers of nearby areas reached the spot and started rescue work. The ill-fated passenger van was completely destroyed and mutilated bodies were scattered on the spot and some of them were caught in the mangled remains of the vehicles. Bodied of 10 persons were so mutilated that they could not be identified. A nearby police post when approached by the locals refused to come to rescue saying that the spot of the accident was not in their jurisdiction. The dead and injured were shifted to Makli Civil Hospital and Gharo hospitals. Rescue work by the villagers on self-help basis was hampered due to darkness. District administration declared emergency in the hospitals. Traffic on the National Highway was blocked due to the accident. Sindh Minister Culture Ms. Sasui Palejo rushed number of vehicles to the accident scene. Thatta DCO Muhammad Jaffar Abbasi rushed to the spot with local staff to help in the relief and rescue operation. But as the night has fallen and there was total darkness in the area, the relief efforts were hampered.