At least 16 killed, 7 injured as passenger coach collides with parked bus on Swat Motorway

MARDAN: At least 16 people were killed and seven others were injured after a Swat-bound passenger coach collided with a bus parked by the roadside of the Swat Motorway in Khoro Kotay Saeed Abad area on Monday, Rescue 1122 said. Rescue 1122 Public Relations Officer Syyed Abbas Shah confirmed the number of casualties. The Motorway police, Rescue 1122 officials and locals of nearby areas rushed to the spot after the incident was reported and shifted the dead and injured to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital. According to the Motorway Police, the passenger coach crashed into a bus that was parked by the roadside after developing a mechanical fault. Hospital and Rescue 1122 officials said that the identities of the dead and injured persons had yet to be ascertained. However, they said that the majority of the victims hailed from Dir and Bajaur, and were headed home for the Eid holidays. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan expressed grief at the incident. He said that the injured were being provided with the best medical facilities. Additional input from APP