19 killed, many injured as buses collide in Pakistan

At least 19 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a head-on collision between two passengers buses in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province Sunday night, police and local media said.

According to reports, the accident happened at Multan road near the Ghazi Ghat area of Dera Ghazi Khan, a district in Punjab province.

One of the passenger buses was completely destroyed in the accident, reported local TV channel ARY News, adding that the bodies of the dead and injured were retrieved after cutting parts of the ill-fated buses.

Following the incident, rescuers, police and local people rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to a hospital. A hospital official said that the death toll might further rise as several injured were in critical condition.

Police officials in the area said the accident happened due to over-speeding and negligence of the bus driver, adding that a case has been registered against the driver for the negligence.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the tragic incident. He also directed hospital authorities to provide the best medical treatment to the injured passengers.

According to official data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, around 9,000 road accidents are reported every year since 2011, killing more than 4,500 people on average annually.

Traffic police said that 90 percent of the accidents in Pakistan are caused merely by human error.