Tanker crushes eight of a family

Nomads asleep near road fall prey to accident

LODHRAN/ OKARA:

Eight members of a nomad family run over by an oil tanker while sleeping near a road on the Eid morning were laid to rest in their native area in Vehari.

Those killed in the accident in Matro town included three children. Three other people injured in the incident were admitted to the Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, while the bodies had been sent to the family’s native area of Kikarwala.

The residents of the locality spent the Eid days in mourning after the funerals.

Local residents said the family of Ladha Padhiar from Kikarwala, including Ramzan, Mitthan, Naseer and their children, had gone to Bahawalpur before the Eid for collecting Zakat and Fitra.

While returning to their native area, they went to sleep at night on mats near Kehror Pakka Chwok in Dunyapur.

On the Eid morning, the oil tanker ran over them, leaving eight people dead, including four women and three children, while three others were injured. Rescue 1122 staff shifted them to the nearest hospital, from where the injured were referred to the Victoria Hospital due to their critical condition.

The head of the family, Ladha Padhiar, told The Express Tribune that the victims had been crushed while sleeping on the ground about two kanal away from the road.

He said the tanker driver might have dozed off as his vehicle had veered off the road.

He said Ramzan, Mithan Mai, her children Naseer and Munir, a child Alishba, Bagoo and Nazeeran had died on spot in the accident, while Nawab Mai had lost her life in the hospital.

Padhiar said the driver had escaped on his vehicle after the accident.

He said his family did not have money for the burial and local people had offered financial help to take bodies home. The funeral arrangements were also made by local residents. He said al people of the locality had celebrated Eid with simplicity in solidarity with his family.

Dunyapur DSP Mian Abdul Rauf said the head of the bereaved family had pardoned the tanker driver over the accident and legal action in the case was unlikely.

The official said the vehicle had run over the family members after its tyre had burst. The Lodhran district administration announced Rs50,000 compensation for each member of the family killed in the accident.

The oil tanker involved in the accident was reportedly travelling from Karachi to Vehari.

The victims were laid to rest in the Pir Shaheedeen graveyard in Mauza Pahlwan Arain.

A large number of local people, including MNA Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry, attended the funeral prayers.

Meanwhile, another road accident in Okara left seven people dead.

A bus on the way to Lahore from Burewala to GT Road reportedly hit a car traveling in the opposite direction from Lahore to Pakpattan at a turning at Akhtarabad while trying to save a rickshaw.

The bus and the car veered off the road into fields after the collision.

Local officials said five people died at the spot and two others died of injuries while being taken to hospital.

Another passenger of the bus and a man travelling in the car were injured.

The deceased were identified as Naveed, 37; Sajid, 23; Muzamil, 10; Tehmina, 25; Shamim Bibi, 37; Anfal, three and Isha aged three months.

The Punjab chief minister condoled the relatives of the deceased and immediately ordered an investigation.

All the bodies were shifted to their native Pakpattan district, where their funeral prayers were offered.

With additional input from Shahid Mehmood in Vehari

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2023.