A passenger bus traveling from Gilgit to Rawalpindi collided with a dumper truck near the Havelian Interchange in Abbottabad district on Friday, killing eight people and causing injuries to 30 others, Indonesian state news agency Xinhua reported. The collision was reported at an early hour, and emergency services were mobilised immediately. Rescue 1122 responded with seven ambulances and a rescue vehicle to the scene, while paramedics provided on‑the‑spot treatment to those who were injured in the crash.
According to officials from Rescue 1122, the bus had just entered the interchange when the driver lost control after a suspected tire burst, allowing the vehicle to collide with a fully loaded dumper truck that was on a parallel lane on the same road. Local police investigated the incident and concluded that the loss of control was likely caused by a tire failure on the bus, although a full forensic report had not yet been released. The investigation will, however, investigate whether there were any violations of traffic regulations by the truck driver or bus crew as well.
The eight victims who lost their lives were all passengers from Gilgit, the report said. Their bodies were carried to nearby facilities in Abbottabad, where local hospitals took over the duties of identification and hands the bodies to families for burial. The deceased were reported to have no affiliation with any security units in the region, and the transport of the bodies was done with the cooperation of the relevant district authorities to ensure a respectful disposal and a swift identification process for the families.
Among the 30 wounded passengers – including five young children and six women – four were rendered critically ill and were treated immediately at the Ayub Medical Complex in the city of Abbottabad after the ambulance crews arrived. Emergency treatment was provided on the ground as well as transportation to the hospital ambulance station. As Xinhua noted, the medical team feared that the death toll might rise if any of the critically injured patients did not respond to treatments.
After the incident, authorities deployed an emergency response unit from Rescue 1122 to the disaster site, ensuring that all involved parties were attended to promptly. The emergency response team worked in tandem with local police and the city’s first‑aid services, while the wounded passengers were transported to Ayub Medical Complex for advanced medical care. The Transport Department of the province will review the incident and may implement new safety regulations or traffic enforcement protocols during the investigation.
The incident has brought attention to the ongoing concerns regarding road safety in Pakistan’s three‑armed provinces, which experience a high rate of traffic accidents on major highways. Given that the route used by the bus is a major arterial corridor that links the northern city of Gilgit with the Pakistani capital, the loss of life sparks public debate on the need for stricter enforcement of vehicle safety standards, better maintenance of critical highways, and comprehensive emergency response protocols throughout the region. In the wake of the tragedy, local governments have stated that they will review the road conditions and will carry out an inquiry into public transport safety standards to ensure that this type of incident does not happen again.
Families of the victims are calling for accountability and for reassurance that safety protocols were appropriately followed by both the bus company and the mine‑dumping truck operators, as well as for detailed reports to be made publicly available. The local authorities announced that they would share updates on the investigation once the full report is compiled. The government has also begun to consider an integrated approach to emergency medical services, ensuring that all hospitals in the region are better equipped to handle roads crashes, especially when large numbers of people are involved. For now, the eight dead families are receiving the necessary support from local welfare agencies, while the injured continue to receive care at the Ayub Medical Complex, under the close supervision of the provincial health department.
