Three schoolchildren crushed under tanker

Two others were injured. The students were on their way to school.

BHIT SHAH:

Three children died in an accident on their way to school on Thursday.

A speeding oil tanker flipped over and rolled off the National Highway near Sekhat Town, Matiari. A large group of students was passing by just when the accident occurred and five of the children were caught under the tanker.

Twelve-year-old Ghulam Murtaza, 10-year-old Sher Muhammad Kalhoro and eight-year-old Eidain Kalhoro were killed while students Imran and Allah Dino sustained injuries. The injured students were given primary care at the Matiari Taluka Hospital and were then sent to Civil Hospital, Hyderabad.

The driver of the tanker managed to escape but police managed to detain the cleaner, Ismail, who hails from the Punjab. They have also impounded the tanker.

No FIR was registered till the filing of this story. The tanker, PLF498, was heading from Karachi to Lahore.

The children were on their way to the Sher Khan Dakhanoo government primary school for boys. The school is located around 20 feet away from where the accident happened, on the main highway. The students belonged to Sekhat Town and Sher Khan Dakhanoo village.

Sher Muhammand and Eidain were cousins. The news of the accident brought people from both the town and village onto the streets. Hundreds of residents gathered for the funeral prayers and burial of the three children. They were laid to rest in the Sekhat graveyard.

Matiari DCO Saqib Soomro has announced Rs100,000 in compensation each for the families of the victims.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2011.