At least 20 injured as bus plunges into roadside ditch on Jhang-Multan Road

WEB DESK: At least 20 passengers sustained injuries on Wednesday when a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a roadside ditch on the Jhang-Multan Road near Gharaybun Kutia, in the Saddar area of Jhang.

According to emergency services provider Rescue 1122, the ill-fated vehicle was en route to Jhang from Multan when the driver lost control of the steering wheel.

The incident occurred when a motorcyclist abruptly emerged from the Ali Abad Link Road onto the main highway, directly in the path of the oncoming bus, according to Dawn News.

In a desperate bid to save the motorcyclist, the driver swerved sharply, causing the heavy vehicle to skitter off the tarmac and fall into the deep ditch alongside the road.

Upon receiving the distress call, Rescue 1122 first responders immediately rushed to the site to initiate an emergency rescue operation.

Emergency response and critical victims

Paramedics provided essential first aid to 15 of the passengers who had sustained relatively minor injuries, allowing them to be discharged at the scene. However, five passengers who were in critical condition required urgent hospitalisation.

The critically injured victims were promptly shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Jhang, for comprehensive medical care.

Hospital sources identified the under-treatment patients as Riaz Hussain, 65; Muhammad Toheed, 18; Ahmad Saleem, 12; Razia Riaz, 50; and Abubakar, 14.

Fatal collision in Ahmadpur Sial

In a separate road traffic accident reported in the Ahmadpur Sial tehsil of Jhang district, an elderly man lost his life while another individual was left injured following a collision between two commercial vehicles.

Officials confirmed that a mini-truck and a loader rickshaw collided heavily on Muzaffargarh Road near the Pir Abdul Rehman Stop.

A 70-year-old man, identified as Muhammad Tufail, succumbed to his severe injuries at the scene, while the second injured person was evacuated to the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital in Ahmadpur Sial for emergency treatment.