In this photo released by the Rescue 1122 Emergency Department, rescue workers examine a burnt bus at the accident site on a highway in Pindi Bhattian, eastern Punjab province, Pakistan, Aug 20, 2023. (PHOTO / RESCUE 1122 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VIA AP)

ISLAMABAD - At least 20 people were burnt to death and 15 others injured on Sunday after a passenger bus hit a vehicle and caught fire in Hafizabad district of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, the rescue and health officials reported.

ALSO READ: At least 17 killed in Bangladesh bus crash

The rescue service said that the accident took place early morning on the freeway at Faisalabad Toll Plaza when the bus collided with a pickup van carrying fuel drums in it, resulting in the eruption of fire.

Reportedly, the ill-fated bus was going from the country's southern port city of Karachi to the federal capital Islamabad

Upon receiving the information, the rescue workers immediately reached the site and shifted the victims to a local hospital, said the rescue service.

Some of the injured had suffered the burning while three of them were in critical condition, it added.

READ MORE: India bus fire kills at least 25, injures eight

Around 40 passengers were present on the bus, according to the rescue service.

Reportedly, the ill-fated bus was going from the country's southern port city of Karachi to the federal capital Islamabad.