Road tragedy: Schoolchildren among 12 killed in Sheikhupura

The crash occurred when a car hit an LPG truck triggering a huge blast

NANKANA SAHIB:

At least 12 people, including schoolchildren, were killed and more than 30 sustained burn injuries when a huge fire erupted after collision between a car and a truck in Punjab’s eastern Sheikhupura district on Wednesday morning.

According to locals, the tragic incident took place at Maanawala road in the early morning when visibility was low due to fog. “The mishap occurred when a speeding car barged into a container transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG),” said an eyewitness.



“A huge fire erupted as a result of the impact and engulfed two rickshaws that were taking children to school at the time. The fatal accident resulted in deaths of the schoolchildren, the rickshaw drivers and the passengers of the car,” he added.

The fire also spread in the vicinity and also gutted at least ten shops in the surrounding area.

After the incident, rescue 1122 officials, police and fire brigade rushed to the spot and started their operation to extinguish the blaze.

The rescuers later shifted the dead and the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital Nankana Sahib, District Headquarters Hospital Sheikupura and Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

According to police, the car belonged to Amjad Ali, cameraman of a private news channel, who died on the spot. Sheikhupura’s DPO Jawad Tariq told reporters that eight bodies had been sent to DHQ Hospital Nankana Sahib. The dead were identified as Hammad, Shaghuft Jabbar, 24, Shazia Farooq, 22, Zunaira Zafar, Waleed Shahzad, 5, Faizan, 8, Hamza, 5, and Muhammad Afzal.

Some of the injured were identified as ASI Sikandar Hayat, Constable Nadeem Malik, Aamer Shehzad, Shahzeb, Hammad Farooq, Abdur Rehman, Sikandar Shahid, Ashraf Atta, Haider Ali, Kausar Parveen, Raza Riaz, Muhammad Ali, Munazza, Anum, Ansar Abbas and Safiya Bibi.

Hospital sources said many of the injured had sustained third degree burns and their conditions were critical.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the tragedy and asked the authorities to provide best treatment to the injured.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2016.