Drive responsibly: Seven die in road accidents in three districts

Two people who had been hanging from over-laden buses slipped and died

SAHIWAL/SARGODHA/SIALKOT: Seven people died in road accidents in various districts on Tuesday and scores were injured.

Police said four people died in accidents in Sahiwal area. Two of them had been hanging from buses.

Hafiz Habibur Rehman had been hanging from an overloaded bus when he slipped and fell near the bus stand on Arifwala Road. Another man, who had also been hanging from an overloaded bus en route to Bahawalnagar, fell and was fatally injured. He was taken to the DHQ Hospital for medical treatment, where the doctors pronounced him dead.

Separately, a man died and three people were injured in a hit-and-run involving two motorcycles on Hayat Road in Sahiwal. The deceased was identified as Ali. Police said Fayyaz, Irfan and Kashif were badly injured and were taken to a hospital. Doctors there said Irfan’s condition was critical but the rest would survive. Police said a speeding car, trying to make a sharp turn on to Noor Shah Faisalabad Road, turned upside down after the driver applied brakes. Muhammad Rehan, who was driving the car, died and Mumtaz and Ali Nawaz, the passengers, were badly injured. They were taken to the Sahiwal District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. Separately, a recklessly-driven car rammed into a motorcycle injuring three people. Police said Muhammad Latif, his wife Razia Bibi and their son Naseer Ahmed were injured and were taken to a hospital. Police said they had registered cases regarding the incidents. No one has been arrested so far.

Sargodha

Two people died and three others were injured in road accidents in Shahpur Saddar and Bhalwal police precincts on Tuesday. Police said an overloaded motorcycle rickshaw headed towards Shahpur-Mangowal Road overturned. Safia Bibi, who was riding in the three-wheeler, died. Police said Ghulam Bibi, Nayyer Sultana and driver Muhammad Ilyas were badly injured.

Separately, Zafar Iqbal, who was travelling on Bhera-Bhalwal Road on a motorcycle, died after a tractor trolley rammed into him. Police said they had registered FIRs on both accidents.

The Sargodha District Control Room of the Punjab Emergency Service Rescue-1122 issued a statement on Tuesday saying they had responded to 1,679 emergency calls in June.

Emergency District Officer Mazhar Shah said that the average response time was four minutes and 16 seconds. He said Rescue-1122 had provided first aid to more than 380 victims on the spot. He said two new well-equipped ambulances had been recently added to the emergency vehicle fleet.

Sialkot

An 18-year-old died after a speeding car rammed into him on the Main Sialkot-Eimanabad Road on Tuesday. Police said Khalil was travelling on a motorcycle when a car hit him near Kamalpur. He died before he could be treated, police said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.