CHAKWAL: At least five people lost their lives while 24 others were injured when a passenger bus falls into a 100-foot-deep ravine near Dhoke Pathan village on the Talagang-Fatehjang Road early Wednesday, Rescue 1122 said.
The bus, en route from Rawalpindi to Bahawalpur, was diverted to the route after the motorway was closed due to dense fog. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Qazi Muhammad Akram said the driver lost control on a winding section of the road at around 2:15am, causing the vehicle to plunge into the ravine.
Read More: Toll in Talagang road accident swells to 27
Among the deceased were 56-year-old Abdul Sattar, the bus driver; 40-year-old Zia Ahmed from Kotli Sattiyan; 33-year-old Mohammad Ishaq from Lodhran; and 45-year-old Ramzan from Multan. The identity of the fifth victim remains unknown.
Fifteen rescue officials and five emergency vehicles took part in a more-than-two-hour operation to recover the victims and assist the injured. The dead were taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Talagang, while the injured were admitted to City Hospital Talagang, where officials, including Talagang Assistant Commissioner Suleman Mansha and Deputy Superintendent of Police Malik Azi, monitored their treatment.
This tragedy follows a recent fatal accident on December 31, 2025, on Jhang-Faisalabad road, where 17 people died following a head-on collision between a bus and a van.
Read More: Bus crash near Chakwal claims 24 lives, leaves 60 injured
Authorities in Punjab have recently closed several motorways over traffic safety concerns amid dense fog. Rescue 1122 reported responding to 1,081 road accidents in the past 24 hours, which claimed 24 lives and injured 1,251 people, highlighting the ongoing dangers posed by winter weather and poor visibility on provincial roads.