Karachi: At least fifteen people were killed when a passenger bus collided with a van carrying oil and diesel containers in southwest Pakistan on Friday, causing the two vehicles to catch fire.

The incident took place when the van’s driver lost control of the vehicle and hit into the bus coming from the opposite direction in Kan Mehtarzai area of Zhob district, an official told Xinhua news agency.

Both vehicles fell into a ditch after the incident that took place in Killa Saifullah district of Balochistan province.

The big fire also engulfed the van and reduced both vehicles into ashes before rescue teams managed to arrive, the official said.

The 44-seater bus carrying 14 people including the driver was on its way to Quetta from Dera Ghazi Khan district, while there were two people aboard the van, the official added.

Both people on the van and 13 people on the bus were burnt beyond recognition while one of the passengers saved his life by jumping off but received serious injuries.

“The number of casualties is high because the truck was carrying smuggled oil and diesel from Iran and when the collision took place the passenger bus also caught fire and the people were trapped inside,” a rescue official of Edhi welfare trust said.

The authorities are in the process of shifting the bodies to civil hospital in Quetta for identification.

According to the Dawn newspaper, initial reports suggest that the accident took place due to over speeding.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan blamed the vehicles “carrying smuggled oil” as a major cause of accidents.

“The accident will be investigated and a report will be presented,” he said.