20 killed as bus catches fire in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - At least 20 people were killed and several others injured when a bus caught fire in Pakistan’s Punjab province, a media report said.

The incident happened Sunday night in Gujar Khan, around 100 km from Rawalpindi, police were quoted as saying by Samaa TV.

The bus was returning from Sialkot, they said.

The cause of the fire is not immediately known but eye witnesses said that a cylinder blast was heard before the bus turned into a fireball, the channel reported, adding that the passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony.

Rescuers were trying to recover the bodies. The lack of necessary equipment is reportedly causing difficulties in their work.

“The bodies are badly burnt and it is difficult to identify them,” said a rescue official. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Last month, more than 30 people were burnt to death in a similar incident when a bus rammed into an oil tanker in Pakistan’s Sindh province.