KHAIRPUR - At least 21 people were killed and three others sustained injuries on Monday in a road accident as a truck fell on a passenger van going from Hingorja to Sukkur.
According to details, a van carrying 23 passengers, including women and children, was going from Hingorja to Sukkur. When the vehicle reached Mehmood village near Shah Hussain Bypass on the national highway in the jurisdiction of C-Section police station, it collided with a truck loaded with coal while trying to overtake the same. As a result, the truck fell on the passenger van, killing 15 people on the spot and injuring three others. Most of the passengers were businessmen and labourers.
The motorway and local police reached the spot and shifted the bodies and the injured to Civil Hospital Khairpur.
The deceased were identified as Naveed Hussain solangi s/o Zulfiqar Ali Solangi village Arab Solangi and Hidayat Ali Solangi, s/o Bangul Solangi of village Nawab Solangi, Jameel Solangi of village Arab Solangi, Asghar Ali Solangi, Abdur Rahseed Khuhro, Muhammad Ramzan Abassi, Tanveer Lund, Bachal Ujjan, Sadruddin Junejo, Shabbir Ujjan, Amanullah Gopang, Khalil Leghari, Tanveer Ujjan, Amjad Ujjan, Banho Ujjan, Shah Murad, Patang Ali Rind, Azam Ali Kaleri, Kaleem Bukhari, Achhan Ujjan and others.
The victims were the residents of Ranipur, Kumb, Drib Mehar Shah, Gambat and other areas. The truck driver managed to escape after the accident.
Sindh Chief Minister Sayed Murad Ali Shah expressed deep grief over the accident and sought a report from the Khairpur deputy commissioner. He also directed the health authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured.
Former Sindh chief minister Sayed Qaim Ali Shah, also expressing deep grief and sorrow over the accident, asked the provincial government to pay compensation to the heirs of the deceased.
AFP adds from Karachi: At least 20 people were killed and five others injured when a truck collided with a passenger van in Khairpur, Sindh.
A senior district police official said the accident took place when the truck tried to overtake the passenger van.
The passenger van was buried under the coal and at least 17 people, including children and women, died on the spot and eight others injured. All the injured were rushed to hospital. Three of them subsequently died, said the hospital doctor, Ghulam Jafar.
Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
21 killed in truck-van accident in Khairpur
ABDUL GHAFFAR MAHAR