Bus catches fire on Karachi-Hyderabad Highway, leaves 17 dead and several injured

Hyderabad: At least 17 people died of severe burns after a a passenger bus caught fire on the Karachi-Hyderabad Super Highway (M-9) near Nooriabad police station, witnesses and police said.

According to the Motorway Police, the passenger bus was going from Karachi to Khairpur Nathan Shah when the fire broke out in the air-conditioned unit of the passenger bus near Nooriabad.

The fire might have started due to a short circuit in the air-conditioner, which engulfed the entire vehicle and burnt the bus completely.

According to the police, the bus was carrying up to 50 flood victims from Karachi to Dadu when it caught fire.

Rescue teams and police personnel reached the spot, and shifted the dead and injured to a hospital.

According to rescue officials, the condition of many victims is critical and the death toll is expected to jump.

An emergency was declared in the hospitals of Hyderabad and Jamshoro.