Drive responsibly: Three cattle traders, bus hostess die in road accidents

Dozens injured in road accidents in Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan districts

BAHAWALPUR/SARGODHA:

Four people died and dozens were injured in two major road accidents in Rahim Yar Khan and Sargodha districts on Sunday.

Three people died and four were badly injured after a trailer truck collided with a Mazda mini-truck on the National Highway near Jinpur Chowk, Rahim Yar Khan.

Several passers-by in the area called up Rescue-1122. A few minutes later, a team of Rescue-1122 officials from Liaquatabad tehsil, a heavy contingent of policemen, several Motorway Police officials and Liaquatpur Deputy Health Officer Muhammad Athar Fareed arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area. Dr Muhammad Athar Fareed called for ambulances from Liaquatpur tehsil, Khan Bela and Taranda. The injured were taken to Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur and Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan.

Rescue-1122 officials told journalists that some cattle breeders and traders, all residents of Alipur tehsil, were taking buffaloes and cows to sell at the Shaikh Wahan Cattle Market, near Rahim Yar Khan city, in a Mazda mini-truck. An over-speeding trailer truck, en-route from Karachi, careened across the road and rammed into the Mazda mini-truck, which was approaching the trailer truck from the opposite side, near Jinpur Chowk. The trailer truck dragged the smaller vehicle for almost 300 meters before it stopped.

The deceased were identified as Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Saleem and Muhammad Amjad. Rescue-1122 officials said that Muhammad Jahangir, Muhammad Jaleel, Muhammad Ashraf and Muhammad Mazhar were injured. Doctors at the hospitals said that the injured were being treated but that their condition was critical.

A spokesperson for the National Highway and Motorway Police said that traffic on the National Highway was jammed for several hours following the accident.

Passenger bus

A bus hostess died and 15 passengers were injured in a road accident in Bhera, Sargodha district, on Sunday. A spokesperson for the Motorway Police said a passenger bus, en-route from Faisalabad to Islamabad, had careened off course on the Motorway near Chak Qazi, after one of its tyres burst.

The bus hit a safety wall of the Motorway and toppled onto its side. Aansa, a 22-year-old bus hostess, died before she could be treated. The spokesperson said at least 15 passengers were injured and the condition of three of them was critical. The body of the deceased was sent to Bhalwal Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for an autopsy. Doctors treating the injured said Azeem, Adnan and Faisal were in a critical condition.

Motorway CPO Amir Javed said that the Motorway Police had called for a crane to remove the bus from the Motorway. The bus driver fled. He said that Bhera police have filed a case.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th,  2016.