A damaged passenger van is seen at the accident site in Sargodha district of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Jan. 30, 2020. At least 11 people were killed and six others injured when fire erupted in a passenger van after its collision with a roadside pole in Sargodha district of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Thursday. (Str/Xinhua)
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were killed and six others injured when fire erupted in a passenger van after its collision with a roadside pole in Sargodha district of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Thursday.
The van, carrying 17 people, was heading towards Rawalpindi city from Faisalabad when it met the accident on motorway, Spokesman of the Motorway Police Saqib Waheed told Xinhua.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash, but apparently, the accident happened due to negligence of the driver, or some mechanical faults in the vehicle, he added.
The only sliding gate of the vehicle got jammed when the van collided with the pole and in the meantime a huge fire also erupted in the van due to short circuit, leaving no time for the passengers to save their lives by jumping out, he said.
The injured people including two women and a kid were shifted to a nearby hospital. Five of the bodies have been identified and handed over to relatives, he added.
