LAHORE:
At least 410 people lost their lives and 37,938 others were seriously injured in road accidents across Punjab in February 2026, according to data released by the Department of Emergency Services (Rescue 1122).
Department of Emergency Services Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer reviewed the operational performance of all districts for the month and expressed grave concern over the increasing number of road accidents and fatalities.
In February, Rescue 1122 responded to 187,761 emergencies across the province and assisted 189,869 victims. Of these emergencies, 125,152 were medical cases, while 37,938 were road accidents.
Other incidents Rescue 1122 has attended include 6,380 slip and fall incidents, 4,927 childbirth cases, 3,320 crime-related incidents, 2,085 fires, 1,968 workplace accidents, 1,121 animal rescues, 563 electric shocks, 451 burn cases, 43 drownings, 34 structure collapses and 3 779 various operations.
Data showed that 37,938 road accidents resulted in 19,773 serious injuries and 410 deaths during the month under review.
A monthly operational performance review meeting was held on Monday, chaired by Dr Rizwan Naseer. The meeting was attended by directors of emergency services, heads of various wings and the provincial surveillance officer, while district emergency officers (DEOs) participated through video link.
The DEOs presented performance reports from their respective districts, highlighting key emergencies, challenges, case studies, lessons learned and initiatives undertaken.
District-wise statistics revealed that Lahore recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 6,961 accidents resulting in 40 deaths.
Faisalabad reported 2,690 accidents, Multan 2,486, Gujranwala 2,044, Sheikhupura 1,433 and Rawalpindi 1,186, while the remaining 21,138 accidents occurred in other districts of Punjab.
When it comes to fires, larger cities also reported higher numbers. Lahore recorded 372 fire incidents, followed by Faisalabad with 180, Rawalpindi with 141, Rahim Yar Khan with 110, Gujranwala with 72 and Multan with 69 incidents.
