Metropolis cries over blood on roads

771 lives lost, 8,014 injured in megalopolis's traffic carnage

KARACHI:

As the year comes to an end, the financial capital is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered year, marked by a staggering 771 deaths and 8014 injuries in traffic accidents. The numbers, released by Chhipa Foundation, paint a bloody picture of a city in chaos, where the value of human life seems to have been reduced to mere statistics.

A breakdown of the numbers reveals that 601 men, 88 women, and 61 children lost their lives in these accidents. The number of girls who died is 21.

There were 69 traffic accidents in January this year, 51 in February, 32 in March, 51 in April, 39 in May, 59 in June, 26 in July, 33 in August, 60 in September, 53 in October, 68 in November and 60 in December so far.

Thirteen women died in traffic accidents in January, two in February, four in March, three in April, six in May, 10 in June, seven in July, seven in August, five in September, nine in October, 10 in November and 10 in December so far.

The number of children killed in traffic accidents in January is 10, in February two, in March three, in April seven, in May three, in June four, in July two, in August five, in September five, in October three, in November 10 and seven so far in the month of December.

Similarly, the number of girls who died in traffic accidents in the month of January is two, none in February and March, three in April, three in May, two in June, five in July, none in August, one each in September and October and in November and December each two girls died in traffic accidents.

The total number of injured men in traffic accidents is 6,714, the total number of injured women is 1,064, the total number of injured children is 290 and the number of girls is 79.

As the city struggles to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy, the numbers also reveal a more personal, human cost. Behind each number, lies a family torn apart, a child orphaned, a parent deprived. How many more lives will be lost, how many more families will be shattered, the city questions while it holds its breath, waiting for answers that may never come.