AT LEAST 18 people were killed when a bus smashed into a truck carrying petrol tanks in a fireball crash.
The bus was carrying 33 passengers when it smashed into the other vehicle in Pakistan.
The bus could be seen burning after the crash in the early hours.
TwitterThe burnt out shell of the bus could be seen on the roadside[/caption]
APSome 18 people died and 16 were seriously injured in the crash[/caption]
Both vehicles are reported to have burst into flames – with both drivers being killed instantly in the inferno.
The bus was carrying dozens of people from the southern port city of Karachi to the capital, Islamabad.
Cops said the van was parked on the hard shoulder of the motorway when it was rammed by the coach.
At least 18 bodies have been recovered – but are so badly charred they will require DNA testing to confirm their identities.
Some of the survivors are in a critical condition due to the horrific burns they suffered.
Bus passengers were left trying to clamber form the windows of the vehicle after the coach erupted in flames.
Police chief ahad Ahmad said: “The unfortunate bus … collided with a mini-truck loaded with three small tanks of petrol at around 4.30am.
“The bus and the truck caught fire immediately, the result of which 18 people including the mini-truck driver died on the spot.”
Inspector general motorway police Sultan Khawaja said: “On the Pindi Bhatian section of the motorway, the bus hit a static van which was carrying a fuel tank.
“The bus hit it from the rear and both vehicles caught fire immediately, killing at least 18 passengers.”
He said the investigation will reveal “whether the bus driver fell asleep at the time of the accident or the crash took place because of over-speeding”.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
More than 40 people were killed in January after a bus fell into a ravine and caught fire in the southern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Sunday.
APInvestigators are trying to work out how the crash occured[/caption]