18 killed, several injured as bus hits train while trying to cross open unmanned railway crossing in Pak: report

A passenger bus hit a train while trying to cross an open unmanned railway crossing in Pakistan's Sindh province, killing 18 people and injuring several others, according to media reports.

The accident happened at Rohri area in Sukkur district when the bus enroute from Karachi to Sargodha was crossing the open unmanned railway crossing and collided with the Pakistan Express train, the Express Tribune reported.

Sukkur Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar said that 18 people have been killed so far in the accident, Dawn reported.

"Already 18 people have been killed with several others seriously injured. The toll is likely to rise," the report quoted Mahesar as saying.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the Sukkur commissioner to dispatch rescue teams to the area.

Another official said that around 40 to 45 people have been seriously injured and have been shifted to hospitals in Rohri and Sukkur.

"It cannot be ascertained how many of the victims were from the train or the bus," he said.

The CM also called for an emergency to be declared at all hospitals in Khairpur, and directed the authorities concerned to ensure ample medicines and blood for those injured in the incident, the report said.

Following the accident, Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also took notice of the incident and directed the provincial government to ensure the best medical facilities for those injured in the collision.