At least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured after two buses collided in Pakistan's Punjab province early on Monday, Reuters reported. The accident took place in the Khanpur area of Rahim Yar Khan city, some 600 km from Lahore.

Officials said the mishap occurred because both buses were speeding. The resulting damage was so severe that the bodies of those killed or injured were recovered only after rescue workers cut through the vehicles, they added. The wounded have been shifted to nearby hospitals. The toll is expected to rise, officials said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office said he "expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives". It said Sharif had asked the authorities concerned to provide treatment to those injured.