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In the second significant traffic catastrophe to occur in the Punjab province of Pakistan in the past three days, at least 20 people were burned alive when a passenger bus and an oil tanker collided on Tuesday.

According to authorities, the collision on a highway in Multan, around 350 kilometres from Lahore, was caused by overspeeding. After the accident, the motorway's traffic was halted for a number of hours.

"20 people were killed when an oil tanker and a bus travelling from Lahore to Karachi collided. Following the collision, the tanker and bus caught fire, and the passengers were killed by the flames "Six passengers who sustained burn injuries were transferred to Multan's Nishtar Hospital, where their condition is described as critical, according to a Rescue 1122 source.

He added that after the collision, both vehicles caught fire, making the rescue effort extremely challenging for the rescue and firefighter teams.

Parvez Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, has expressed sorrow over the accident's loss of valuable lives and ordered the relevant health authorities to better care for the injured. He also instructed the administration to assist the identifying of the deceased in conjunction with their families.