Thursday, 22 October 2026

Get the Briefing
Breaking
  1. IMF sees region including Pakistan shrinking 1.3pc this year due to Iran war
  2. World Bank says Pakistan could triple incomes by 2050 with faster reforms
  3. Pakistan and EU agree to work together on counterterrorism at UN forums
  4. Pakistan must apply afresh for EU GSP+ trade status from January 2027
  5. PM Shehbaz vows to restore KP's progress on first visit since governor's rule
  6. Pakistan to host UN conference on space technology for disaster warnings

Road safety

Ten killed as bus overturns on Rajanpur's Indus Highway

Ten passengers died and dozens were hurt when a Karachi-bound bus hit a divider and overturned near Bangla Hidayat in Rajanpur, Rescue 1122 said.

By

Editor-in-Chief

3 min read

A passenger bus lying on its side on the Indus Highway in Rajanpur after the accident
The overturned bus on the Indus Highway in Rajanpur district's Rojhan tehsil. (Photo: Rescue 1122 handout)

Key points

  • Ten people were killed when a passenger bus hit a road divider and overturned on the Indus Highway in Rajanpur's Rojhan tehsil at about 5:45am, Rescue 1122 said.
  • Outlets reported between 32 and 44 injured; Dawn said 44, The Express Tribune 35 and Geo News 32.
  • The bus was travelling from Karachi to Dera Ghazi Khan and hit a divider on an under-construction stretch, according to The Express Tribune.
  • The deputy commissioner said a case would be registered against the driver, who fled, and the bus owner.

Ten people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when a passenger bus hit a road divider and overturned on the Indus Highway in Rajanpur district’s Rojhan tehsil in southern Punjab, Rescue 1122 said, according to Dawn, The Express Tribune and Geo News.

The accident took place near Bangla Hidayat at about 5:45am. The bus, which was reported to be speeding, was travelling from Karachi to Dera Ghazi Khan when it hit the divider and toppled over, Rescue 1122 said.

Who was hurt

Rescue 1122’s incident report said the dead included seven men, two women and a girl. The death toll rose to 10 after a woman and a child died of their injuries, The Express Tribune reported.

The number of injured differs between reports. Dawn put it at 44, saying 38 of them were being treated at the Rajanpur District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, while four who were critical were referred to Dera Ghazi Khan and two seriously hurt people to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan. The Express Tribune reported 35 injured, saying 20 were taken to the DHQ hospital and 12 with minor injuries were given treatment at the scene. Seven were initially described as critical, five of whom were sent to Dera Ghazi Khan and two to Rahim Yar Khan. Geo News said 32 were injured.

According to the Tribune, the dead and injured belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa and Balochistan.

The response

Rescue 1122 said it “responded promptly”, sending 10 ambulances and two rescue vehicles from Rajanpur, Jampur and Rojhan, with 35 rescuers taking part. An emergency was declared at the DHQ hospital and other hospitals nearby, Geo News reported.

Rajanpur Deputy Commissioner Imran Ranjha, the district police officer and the assistant commissioner went to the site to oversee the work. The deputy commissioner told Dawn that a case would be registered against the bus driver, who fled the scene after the crash, and against the bus owner.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the families, Geo News reported. She directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident.

The Express Tribune said the bus overturned on an under-construction road. Officials have not yet said what caused the driver to lose control.

A bad month on the roads

The crash comes after a run of deadly road accidents in October, according to The Express Tribune and Dawn:

  • October 19: five young men were killed when a speeding car hit a divider, overturned and caught fire on Bosan Road in Multan.
  • October 19: four people, including women and children, died when a Mazda truck collided with a car near Darbi in Balochistan’s Bolan district.
  • October 16: eight people died in two accidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six of them when a passenger van overturned in Buner.
  • October 16: three members of a family, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed in Lahore when a trailer crushed their car at a traffic signal.
  • October 13: four people died and five were injured when a van collided with a truck in Mastung district, Balochistan.

According to Rescue 1122, around 1,352 road traffic incidents are reported every day across Punjab, resulting on average in 14 deaths a day. Geo News noted that accidents on highways and motorways are often linked to speeding, reckless driving, driver fatigue and poor vehicle maintenance, with deteriorating road conditions adding to the toll.

Why it matters

Passenger buses on long-distance routes carry dozens of people at a time, so a single crash can claim many lives. The case against the driver and owner, and what the investigation finds about speed, fitness of the vehicle and the state of the under-construction road, will show whether this accident leads to any change. For the families in Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa and Balochistan, the immediate need is for treatment for the injured and answers about who is responsible.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, The Express Tribune and Geo News.

Topics

Spotted an error? See our corrections policy ortell our newsroom.

Related Articles