SIALKOT: What should have been just another evening drive turned into a deadly crash near Lakhan Stop on Sialkot-Pasrur Road, where five teenage boys lost their lives after their speeding car slammed into a bus parked along the roadside.
Rescue officials said the impact was so severe that the car was completely crushed from the front. Rescue 1122 teams had to cut open the vehicle to retrieve the bodies. All five occupants died on the spot.
The deceased were identified as 14-year-old Ayan Ahmed, 18-year-old Abdul Rehman, 17-year-old Muhammad Ameer Murtaza, 15-year-old Rohaan Ahmed, and 18-year-old Haroon, a resident of Pragpur. According to initial reports, the boys belonged to areas including Wellaana Khas, Gul Bahar, and Shatab Garh.
Police officials on the scene said the car was coming from Sialkot towards Pasrur when it hit the stationary bus from behind near Lakhan Stop. The bus, reportedly parked on the roadside without any visible warning signs or safety cones, became a death trap.
Locals gathered at the scene shortly after the crash, many questioning how a heavy vehicle could be left unattended on a busy road without basic safety measures. “This is not the first time,” a shopkeeper nearby said. “Buses and trucks are often parked like this, no lights, no indicators. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
But the tragedy also raises serious questions about underage driving and reckless behavior on roads. At least three of the victims were below 18 an age where they are not legally allowed to drive. Yet, like many other cases across Punjab, teenagers continue to take the wheel unchecked.
Traffic police sources admitted off the record that enforcement against underage drivers remains weak. “There are campaigns, there are fines, but on ground, things are different,” an official said. “Families hand over cars to minors, and no one stops them until something like this happens.”
Overspeeding is being considered a key factor in the crash. Witnesses said the car was moving “very fast” before it rammed into the bus. The absence of skid marks at the scene also suggests the driver may not have applied brakes in time or possibly failed to react.
Road safety experts say such incidents are a combination of multiple failures careless driving, poor enforcement, and negligent parking. “You cannot park a large bus on a highway shoulder without reflectors or warning signs. At the same time, a minor behind the wheel at high speed is a disaster in itself,” said a transport safety observer.
The bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital and later handed over to the families. The entire area remained tense as relatives and residents mourned the loss of young lives.
No formal FIR had been registered till the filing of this report, but police said action would be taken after preliminary investigation.
Five young lives gone in seconds and once again, the same questions remain on the road: who is responsible?
