DG KHAN - At least 33 passengers died and 59 sustained injuries when a bus bumped into a trailer near Jhok Yar Shah area in Dera Ghazi Khan on early Monday.

Rescue workers said the bus (LES-06) was heading towards Rajanpur from Sialkot when it collided with a trailer (C/9537). According to eyewitnesses several passengers died on the spot.

Rescuers had to cut the body of the bus to retrieve the dead and the injured. Most of the victims were young men, some in their teens and adolescents and fewer in their 50s. Majority of those died and suffered injuries hailed from Darkhwast Jamal Khan area. A woman and a ten-year-old girl were the only females injured in the accident.

Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar expressed heartfelt grief on the tragic incident and ordered commissioner DG Khan to ensure best treatment facilities to the injured.

Buzdar said, Punjab government was standing by the bereaved families in this hour of grief adding he said, emergency has been declared at the Ghazi teaching hospital. Chief Minister also sought a detailed report from commissioner and Regional Police Officer (RPO) with orders to take legal action against those found responsible for the mishap, said an official release.

Minister of State for climate change Zartaj Gull, CM advisor on health Muhammad Hanif Pitafi, MPA Dr. Shaheena Najeeb Khosa and others visited the hospital to inquire about condition of the injured passengers.

Meanwhile, commissioner DG Khan Dr. Irshad Ahmad and deputy commissioner Zeeshan Javed visited Ghazi teaching hospital where they ensured swift treatment facilities to the injured and contacted heirs of the deceased persons to make arrangements for the transportation of the bodies to their respective towns and cities.

MS hospital Dr. Najeeb said that 32 deceased passengers have been identified and their bodies have been sent to their respective hometowns to ensure their heirs can perform their Namaz-e-Janaza and subsequent burial. However, one deceased has not yet been identified, the doctor added.

Regional Emergency Officer Dr. Natiq Hayat said that nineteen (19) Rescue 1122 vehicles including fourteen ambulances, a fire vehicle, two rescue vehicles and a special vehicle were used in the rescue operation.

Two injured persons were provided first aid treatment on the spot while the dead and injured were shifted to hospital. Following are the names of the dead and injured identified so far.    

Muhammad Babar (20-21) s/o Muhammad Anwar Chandia r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Muhammad Imran (23-24) s/o Wahid Bakhsh Lond r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Kaleemullah (18-19) s/o Khadim Hussain Chandia r/o Jampur, Zahid (21-22) s/o Faiz Muhammad r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Awais (20-21) s/o Ghulam Fareed Chandia r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Naeem (22-23) s/o Farooq Zohrani r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Sadiq Hussain (24-25) r/o Abdul Sattar r/o MuhammadPur, Muhammad Jafar (27-28) s/o Mubarak Khan r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Irfan (17-18) s/o Jan Muhammad Bazgeer r/o Dajal, Abdur Razzaq (12-13) s/o Jafar Ahmadani r/o Jampur, Azam (24-25) s/o Ghulam Hussain r/o Kotla Sher, Dost Ali Khan r/o Jampur, Lal Ismail, Muhammad Ismail (50-51) s/o Rasool Bakhsh r/o Fazalpur, Dost Ali s/o Jumma Khan, Hafiz Sajjad (20-21) s/o Shamla r/o Dajal, Muhammad Hanif (45) s/o Huzoor Bakhsh r/o MuhammadPur (Jampur), Muhammad ismail (30) s/o Muhammad Ibraheem r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Ghulam Murtaza (50) s/o Munir Ahmad r/o Fazalpur, Muhammad Tariq (31) s/o Abdul Ghaffar r/o Jampur, Shahnawaz (28) s/o Kham Muhammad r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Muhammad Shameer (30) s/o Allah Bakhsh r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Jamshed Ahmad (38) s/o Haji Muhammad r/o Rajanpur.

The injured passengers included Fahad (18) s/o Ghulam Yasin r/o Muhammad Pur, Habib (18) s/o Ghulam Yasin r/o Muhammad Pur, Shahzad (30) s/o Muhammad Abbas r/o Pul-14000, Yasir (8) s/o Ghulam Hussain r/o Jampur, Irfan (20) s/o Imam Bakhsh r/o Muhammad Pur, Manzoor Ahmad (36) s/o Noor Muhammad r/o Chowk Azam, Rehmatullah (40) s/o Munir r/o Dajal, Muhammad Akmal (15) s/o Khairu r/o Dajal, Muhammad Asif (31) s/o Rasool Bakhsh r/o Rajanpur, Sher Zaman (40) s/o Jan Muhammad r/o Jampur, Muhammad Bilal s/o Sajid Hussain r/o Jampur, Allah Ditta (50) s/o Ali Muhammad r/o Hajipur, Muhammad Kamal (21) s/o Faiz Muhammad r/o Bakhar Wah, Kora (32) s/o Miru r/o Dajal, Zannu Khan (40) r/o Gujranwala, Gull Alam (30) s/o Sher Alam r/o Peshawar, Riaz Hussain (40) s/o Rahim Bakhsh r/o Fazalpur, Rashid Hussain (20) s/o Riaz Ahmad r/o Fazalpur, Lal Bakhsjh (23) s/o Huzoor Bakhsh r/o Jampur, Baz (25) s/o Ata Muhammad r/o Jampur, Muhammad Imran (20) s/o Elahi Bakhsh r/o Bakhar Wah, Irfan s/o Punnu Khan r/o Darkhawst Jamal Khan, Mulazim Hussain (25) s/o Khadim Hussain r/o Rajanpur, Riaz Hussain s/o Rahim Bakhsh r/o Fazalpur, Muhammad Amir s/o Ghulam Yasin r/o Darkhawst Jamal Khan, Muhammad Zulfiqar (20) s/o Ghulam Nazuk r/o Dajal, Muhammad Rashid r/o Dajal, Humayun (13) s/o Muhammad Asghar r/o Jampur, Abdul Shakoor s/o Noor Muhammad r/o Haji Pur, Kora (50) s/o Nabi Bakhsh r/o Fazalpur, Muhammad Waqas s/o Mushtaq r/o MuhammadPur, Muhammad Zubair (25) s/o Haji Saleem r/o Muhammad Pur, Abdul Qayyum (50) s/o Ali Muhammad r/o Shah Kot, Abdul Maalik (31) s/o Bashir Ahmad r/o Fazalpur, Muhammad Rashid (30) s/o Haji Ahmad r/o Fazalpur, Abbas (30) s/o Abdul Rasheed r/o Shah Kot, Bilal Ahmad (45) s/o Fida Hussain r/o Darkhwast Jamal Khan, Zakir (30) s/o Ali Bakhsh, Moris Rauf s/o Abdul Rauf r/o Rajanpur, Kamran s/o Imam Bakhsh r/o Fazalpur, Farhat Abbas (15) s/o Wahid Bakhsh r/o Jampur, Shabana Bibi (10) d/o Allah Divaya r/o Haji Pur, and Tasleem Bibi (45) d/o Allah Divaya r/o Haji Pur.