ISLAMABAD: At least 11 people were killed and 33 others were injured this week when a passenger bus collided with a truck in Pakistan’s eastern city of Pakpattan, rescue officials said.

The incident took place on Thursday evening, according to an incident report compiled by the Rescue 1122 Punjab service. The accident took place at Depalpur Road in Pakpattan, the report said, adding that it occurred as the bus sped while overtaking a motorcycle.

“President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief and sorrow over the deaths of 11 people in an accident involving a passenger bus and a trailer near Pakpattan,” the president’s office said on X on Thursday.

“The president expressed his sympathies with the families of those who lost their lives and prayed for the elevation of the deceased’s ranks and the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.”

Rescue 1122 service said it had deployed nine emergency vehicles in the rescue operation, adding that eight people had suffered minor injuries while 25 others had been shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital in Pakpattan.

Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed in most parts of the country. Several crashes across the country have been reported over the past couple of years due to over speeding and reckless driving, poor awareness of traffic rules, overloading and weak enforcement of laws.

At least 12 people were killed and dozens were injured last month in southwestern Pakistan after a bus traveling from Karachi to Gwadar collided with a passenger van at the N025 highway, officials said.