KHAIRPUR: At least 11 people, including nine passengers, the driver and the conductor, were killed after a passenger coach collided with a trailer carrying heavy concrete girders near Tando Masti in Khairpur District on the National Highway, rescue officials said early Sunday.

The bus was travelling from Punjab to Karachi when the accident occurred.

According to the Edhi Foundation, the bodies were shifted to Khairpur Civil Hospital, while around 10 injured passengers were taken for medical treatment.

Following the crash, Sindh Inspector General of Police directed SSP Khairpur to immediately reach the site and oversee rescue operations. Authorities were also instructed to ensure relief efforts in surrounding areas and keep routes clear for the smooth transfer of the injured to hospitals.

The incident comes just days after another tragic accident near Kathore on the M9 Motorway, where at least 14 people were killed and several others injured when an oil tanker, a bus and multiple vehicles collided.

Rescue officials confirmed that women and children were among the dead, while the force of the crash caused several passengers to fall from a bridge.

Police said the coach involved in the M9 accident was travelling on the wrong side of the road. An FIR has been registered at Gadap police station, including charges of culpable homicide and negligent driving.

Officials said the M9 collision began when an oil tanker lost control and struck a trailer and another vehicle, triggering a chain reaction that overturned several vehicles. The tanker driver died on the spot, along with drivers and passengers of other vehicles.

Fatal road accidents remain common in Pakistan due to poor road conditions, reckless driving and weak enforcement of traffic rules.