Rescue 1122 Responds to 2.5 Million Emergencies in 2025; Historic Flood Rescue Operation Highlights Punjab’s Emergency Services

By Dr. Ansab Ali
Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE — The Secretary of Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, reported that Rescue 1122 responded to 2.5 million emergencies in 2025, assisting over 2.8 million victims, marking a 10 percent increase compared to 2024.
Speaking at the Annual Performance Review 2025 meeting, Dr. Naseer said that road traffic crashes (RTCs) remained the leading cause of emergencies, with 493,489 incidents recorded, resulting in 248,471 serious injuries and 4,944 deaths at the spot. Other major emergencies included abdominal pain (214,864 cases), hypertension (200,061), shortness of breath (184,954), and high fever (141,235).
He highlighted the historic simultaneous flood rescue operation in three rivers of Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, in which over 470,000 people were rescued by more than 1,500 boats, while 2.6 million people and 2.1 million animals were preemptively evacuated to safe locations.
The review meeting was attended by Directors of Emergency Services, Heads of Wings, Provincial Monitoring Officer, Head of Operations, while District Emergency Officers participated via video link. Dr. Naseer was briefed on operations including road traffic crashes, medical emergencies, fire incidents, structural collapses, crime cases, drowning, falls, deliveries, occupational injuries, animal rescues, electric shocks, burns, and miscellaneous emergencies.
Key statistics for 2025 included:
493,489 RTCs (up 5.55% from 467,561 in 2024)
28,829 fire incidents (up 2.89% from 28,018 in 2024)
1,677,867 medical emergencies (up 10.47% from 1,518,810 in 2024)
45,992 crime emergencies (down from 48,857 in 2024)
Other incidents: 67,409 falls, 65,020 delivery cases, 25,390 occupational injuries, 14,351 animal rescues, 12,772 electric shocks, 4,447 burn cases, 1,031 drownings, 1,011 structural collapses, and 68,808 miscellaneous emergencies.
The Motorbike Rescue Service responded to 1,278,072 emergencies with an average response time of five minutes. Meanwhile, the Air Ambulance Service transported 190 critically ill patients from remote areas to major cities, and the Patient Transfer Service shifted 64,792 critical patients to advanced medical facilities free of charge.
Dr. Naseer praised the District Emergency Officers, operational staff, and all formations for maintaining high standards and for their role in the flood rescue operations. He urged building owners to comply with Punjab Community Safety Building Regulations 2022, ensuring fire hydrants, Emergency Response Teams (ERTs), and safety measures in high-rise, industrial, and commercial buildings, to protect residents and workers.