Four killed, seven injured as passenger coach collides with dumper on Swat Expressway

MALAKAND: At least four people were killed and seven others injured when a passenger coach collided with a dumper on the Swat Expressway in Malakand on Sunday.

The accident occurred near Tunnel 2 in the Shahkot area, with officials saying speeding and negligence by the passenger vehicle’s driver were among the factors behind the crash.

Motorway police and Rescue 1122 teams reached the site soon after launched rescue operations.

According to a motorway police spokesperson, the passenger vehicle was travelling from Mardan to Dir when it collided with the dumper.

The injured passengers and bodies of the deceased were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Batkhela and Mardan Medical Complex for treatment and medico-legal formalities.

The crash comes amid concerns over a series of serious accidents on the Swat Expressway in recent months.

On May 25, 18 people were killed and several others injured when a speeding passenger vehicle rammed into a bus parked along the roadside near Ismailia.

According to rescue officials, the vehicle struck the stationary bus from behind.

In June, another accident near Katlang claimed the lives of a motorway police sub-inspector and a child after an out-of-control vehicle hit police personnel on duty. Four others were injured in the incident.

On July 29, a passenger coach overturned near Chakdara inside Tunnel 3 of the Swat Expressway, leaving 22 people injured. The latest accident has once again highlighted road safety concerns on the expressway, where several major crashes have been reported in recent months