Rescue says eight people were injured in the crash and shifted to hospital
MALAKAND: At least fifteen people were killed when a truck fell into a ravine on the Swat Expressway, according to Rescue officials on Thursday.
The vehicle was reportedly carrying a group of nomads travelling from Bahrain, Swat, when it veered off the road and plunged into the ravine. Rescue said eight people were injured in the incident and were shifted to a hospital for medical treatment.
Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Fayaz said most of the deceased are children.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted road safety concerns in the country, where accidents are frequent due to poor infrastructure, speeding, and overloading of vehicles.
Earlier this month, seven nomads, including six family members, were killed and six others injured when a high-speed truck ran over workers sleeping on the roadside near Kuddan Hotel, Shikarpur.
According to reports, the truck, loaded with vegetables, collided with an electric pole before veering out of control and crashing into the nomads’ camp. The accident resulted in seven workers dying at the scene, while six others sustained injuries.
Police stated that the tragedy occurred due to the driver losing control of the vehicle, with initial investigations pointing to excessive speed as the cause.
The incident follows two separate accidents in Balochistan earlier the same week, which claimed at least 13 lives, including women and children, and left scores injured.
Local authorities reported that six people lost their lives and 17 others were seriously injured when a passenger coach rammed into an oncoming truck near Zero Point in Lasbela’s Uthal.
In the other incident, seven people died and 16 were hurt after a coach crashed in Hub-Winder.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
![PESHAWAR, JAN 12 /DNA/ - Owing to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's precarious law and order circumstances, the provincial assembly has written a letter to the Peshawar corps commander seeking an in-camera briefing on ongoing operations and the security situation in the province. "The [special] Committee desires to receive a detailed briefing from Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, particularly in the context of the ongoing operations being conducted by the federal government and LEAs in the merged districts of KP," reads the letter issued by KP Assembly Deputy Secretary Tariq Noor, while referring to the Special Committee (on Security) constituted by the house. The committee features more than 40 members, including the leader of the house, the leader of the opposition and provincial ministers, along with parliamentary leaders of respective political parties. The letter, dated January 8, also points out that the committee has received detailed briefings from key stakeholders, including the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, the IGP, and now seeks a briefing as part of the consultative process. Letter written by KP Assemblys deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter Letter written by KP Assembly's deputy secretary to Headquarters XI Corps. — Reporter The KP Assembly's request for a briefing from a senior army commander comes as the province, as stated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a recent media briefing, accounted for nearly 71% of all the terrorist incidents in 2025. The overwhelming share of KP in facing terror incidents, as per the military's spokesperson, was due to a "politically conducive environment and the flourishing political-criminal-terror-nexus" in the province. Noting that the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in KP was resisting counterterrorism efforts at every forum — a claim denied by the PTI — Lt Gen Chaudhry highlighted that the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country in 2025, of which 14,658 IBOs were conducted in KP. Out of the total 5,397 terrorism incidents reported nationwide in the previous year, as many as 3,811 incidents occurred in KP. The issue of terrorism and military operations has been a point of contention between the PTI's KP government and the Centre in recent times, where the former has time and again stressed a political solution and dialogue, whereas the latter has pressed on with taking action against the terrorists. This is also reflected by the KP Assembly's letter to the Headquarters XI Corps, Peshawar, which says that the Special Committee (on Security) "acknowledges the importance of security measures but considers that operation alone without broader political, social and developmental initiatives may not ensure suitable peace and stability and could risk further unrest in the province".](https://islamabadpost.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/security-forces-218x150.jpg "KP Assembly seeks Peshawar corps commander’s in-camera briefing on security situation")
