MULTAN: A passenger van crashed into a pick-up truck in central Pakistan yesterday, killing 21 people including women and children, police told reporters.

The accident occurred at a busy highway intersection near Bahawalpur town, south of the central city of Multan.

“A van carrying 22 passengers on board collided head on with (a pick-up truck) with 15 people on board.”  

The van was negotiating a blind turn, killing 21 people,” local police official Irshad Haider Bukhari told reporters.

He said those killed in the crash included 11 women and two children.

A senior doctor at Bahawal-Victoria Hospital, Muhammad Irshad Chaudhry, confirmed the casualties.

Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

AFP