MARDAN — At least 16 people were killed, and seven others sustained serious injuries on Monday after a speeding passenger coach collided with a stationary bus parked along the Swat Motorway. The catastrophic accident occurred in the Khoro Kotay Saeedabad area when a Swat-bound coach slammed into a roadside bus that had pulled over after developing a mechanical fault. Motorway police, emergency response teams, and local volunteers rushed to the scene to pull victims from the wreckage and transfer them to the Mardan Medical Complex Hospital.
At least 16 people were killed and six others injured in a tragic road accident on the Swat Expressway on Monday after a passenger van collided with a stationary bus, officials said.https://t.co/m10fIeXg1T#DialoguePakistan #Swat #Expressway #Van #Parked #Bus pic.twitter.com/ZtXd5k1un8
— Dialogue Pakistan (@DialoguePak) May 25, 2026
Key Highlights
- At least 16 passengers were killed and seven others injured in a highway crash.
- A passenger coach struck a faulty bus parked on the Swat Motorway shoulder.
- Emergency services shifted all casualties to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital.
- Most victims hailed from Dir and Bajaur, traveling home for Eid holidays.
- KP Information Minister Shafi Jan directed hospitals to provide top-tier care.
While Rescue 1122 and hospital authorities are still working to formally ascertain the identities of the deceased and injured, officials revealed that the majority of the victims hailed from the Dir and Bajaur regions. The passengers were reportedly heading back to their hometowns to celebrate the upcoming Eid holidays with their families. Expressing deep grief over the loss of innocent lives, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan confirmed that the district administration has been directed to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the survivors.
Fatal traffic accidents remain a persistent challenge on Pakistan’s highways and motorways, frequently caused by reckless driving, speeding, driver fatigue, and poor vehicle maintenance. This tragedy marks the latest in a series of recent transit disasters in the province, following a crash earlier this month in Swat’s Charbagh tehsil where a wedding van plunged into a ravine, claiming five lives. The motorway police have urged public transport operators to exercise extreme caution and adhere to strict safety protocols, especially during the high-volume holiday travel season.
