Seven girls, rickshaw driver, die as bus runs over rickshaw in Bhakkar

F.P. Report

BHAKKAR: As many as eight people including seven students of a local school were crushed to death as a speeding bus ran over their rickshaw here on Saturday.

The horrific accident took place at Jhang-Bhakkar Road when seven schoolgirls were heading home after appearing in their 9th-grade exam.

The driver of the unfortunate vehicle and six students died on the spot whereas another girl was shifted to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Rescue 1122 officials removed the dead bodies from under the bus and transported them to their homes.

Angry protesters later blocked the Jhang-Bhakkar road and demanded the arrest of the driver, registration of a case against the bus owner, and cancellation of the bus company’s route permit.

The protestors later torched the bus and refused to budge from their demands in front of the local administration which had arrived at the scene to pacify them and get the road cleared.

The Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has sought a report from the district administration about the incident and vowed that the persons responsible would be held accountable.