Militant kills 11 in Pakistan

Bus engulfed in flames after hitting van: 18 more die

August 21, 2023 00:00:00

Rescue workers examine a burnt bus at the accident site on a highway in Pindi Bhattian on Sunday —AP

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (Reuters/AP): Eleven labourers were killed in a militant attack in Northwestern Pakistan, caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Sunday in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Security and police officials in northern Khyber Pakhtunkwa province said a suspected improvised explosive device detonated, tearing through a truck carrying the workers to a construction project in Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

"They were working at an army post that is under construction ... an IED exploded under a vehicle carrying the labourers," deputy commissioner of North Waziristan, Rehan Khattak said.

Pakistan has seen a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants since last year when a ceasefire between the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government broke down.

Other groups including the Islamic State have also claimed responsibility for some attacks, including a large blast at a political rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held by a religious group last month that killed 45.

Meanwhile, a bus in Pakistan caught fire after hitting a van parked on the shoulder of an intercity highway in eastern Punjab province, killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 others, police and rescue officials said Sunday.

The accident occurred early Sunday near Pindi Bhattian, where the Islamabad-bound bus hit a van parked on the shoulder of the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, senior police officer Fahad Ahmed said. The van was carrying fuel drums, which caused an inferno that engulfed the bus, Ahmed said.

There were more than 40 passengers on the bus, Ahmed said. Those who were rescued were badly burned, including several in critical condition. Other passengers were slightly injured with burns after escaping through the windows.

The drivers of both vehicles died, police said.

Such accidents happen frequently on Pakistan's highways, where safety standards are often ignored and traffic regulations violated. Fatigued drivers also fall asleep behind the wheel during long drives.