Overview
- Rescue teams and Motorway Police say a passenger van travelling from Rawalpindi hit a bus parked near Ismailia on the Swat Expressway on Monday, crushing the van and triggering a large rescue and hospital response.
- Official casualty figures varied in early reports but hospital sources later said two more injured victims died late Monday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 18 and leaving several people still under treatment at Mardan Medical Complex.
- Authorities and Rescue 1122 spokespeople described the parked bus as having developed a mechanical fault before the collision and said investigators are examining the van driver's speed and whether roadside warning measures were used.
- Many victims were reported to be from Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Bajaur, and rescuers say multiple members of the same family were among the dead, increasing the local human toll and complicating identification and notifications.
- Provincial leaders offered condolences and investigators opened formal inquiries into vehicle fitness, driver conduct and roadside parking protocols, a probe that could lead to tighter enforcement of safety rules ahead of holiday travel.