Five killed in road crash after funeral

A road accident on the Gujrat-Sargodha road claimed the lives of five people and left 11 others injured.

 The victims were returning home after attending a funeral prayer when a dumper truck hit their van.

 Witnesses told The Express Tribune that the dumper truck collided with the passenger van while maneuvering to take a U-turn.

 Van driver Saqib Ali, Rashida Bibi, her cousin Batool and daughter-in-law Zahida Parveen were killed at the spot.

 Batool’s brother Chan Pir succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in a nearby hospital.

 The injured were transported to various medical facilities for urgent care.

 The Aziz Bhatti Shadeed Hospital in Gujrat admitted six critically wounded passengers, while two others were taken to the Phalia Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

 A first information report was registered against the driver of the dumper truck at the Parianwalli police station under the Pakistan Penal Code sections 320, 337G, 447 and 279.

 However, the driver's whereabouts were unknown as he had fled the site of the accident, leaving his vehicle.

 According to local residents, a high number of U-turns pose a threat to road safety on the highway.

 Mandi Bahauddin Traffic DSP Tariq Shafi also expressed concern over the frequency of fatal accidents involving the U-turns.

 According to sources, the traffic department has urged the highway authorities to abolish 99 unnecessary U-turns on the Gujrat-Sargodha road to improve safety and prevent loss of lives.

 Meanwhile, at least 19 people were killed and 1,204 others injured in 1,136 road traffic crashes across Punjab during the past 24 hours.

 Over 600 of the injured were shifted to hospitals, while the others were treated at the sites by rescue teams.