Eight perish in road accidents in K-P

KOHAT/ PESHAWAR:

Road accidents in Peshawar and Kohat claimed eight lives, including those of three children, on Monday. At least 11 people were injured.

At least five people were killed and three injured when a passenger van barrelled into a general store on Shabqadar Road on the outskirts of Peshawar. Three of the deceased belonged to the same family.

The passenger coach, which was coming from Mohmand Agency via Charsadda, crashed into Jan Syed General Store within the jurisdiction of Daudzai police station. The vehicle crashed into the building with such impact that its roof collapsed, trapping all of the injured in the mangled remains of machine and masonry. They were extracted by locals and Rescue 1122 and rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital.

According to medics, five of the injured succumbed to their wounds, while the condition of the remaining three is said to be critical.

“Investigation will reveal the cause of the accident but initially it does look like over-speeding is the most likely culprit,” said a Daudzai police official. In Kohat, three people were killed and eight injured in Marai on Monday.

An Usterzai police officer said a flying coach was en route from Orakzai Agency to Kohat when the driver lost control due to over-speeding and ran over people waiting for public transport. The vehicle turned over, killing the front seat passenger, Behram Khan, a resident of Khyber Agency, instantly.

The officer said Sabah Ishtiaq, 8, and Bismallah Jan, 9, both from Tora Warai Kachai also died on the spot. Police registered an FIR and opened investigations.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2015.