QUETTA: At least 14 people were killed in western Pakistan Friday when a passenger van hit a truck loaded with smuggled fuel, police said, in the latest fatal accident on the country’s notoriously dangerous roads.
The early morning collision took place in Qila Saifullah district, about 200km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.
The van caught fire after hitting the truck, Abdul Jabbar, a police official at the scene told AFP, adding police had recovered 14 bodies, several of which had been severely burned and could not be immediately identified.
The remains have been taken to the civil hospital in Quetta, according to officials.
Fasih Ullah, another police official, confirmed the incident and the death toll, adding that the truck appeared to be carrying fuel smuggled from Iran.
Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents — blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
Pakistan’s far-flung Balochistan province bordering Iran and Afghanistan is notorious for the smuggling of oil and other foreign goods. — AFP
