Speeding vehicles collide, killing at least 22

Over a dozen wounded in van-bus crash on the National Highway near Thatta.

THATTA: At least 22 people were killed and over a dozen wounded when a speeding van collided with a Karachi-bound bus on the National Highway near Gujjo, Thatta, on Sunday.

The van was totally destroyed in the collision and, according to Express News, it seemed unlikely that anyone survived. Of the 22 deaths, 17 were passengers of the van, which was on its way to Karachi from Badin. There were about 70 passengers in the bus, of which five died and over a dozen were injured.

Rescue teams, police and people from the area rushed to the site and pulled the bodies out of the wreckage. The deceased and the injured were taken to hospitals in Makli and Gharo. The toll, however, is expected to mount since some passengers are in a critical condition.

Six bodies have been identified so far including those of Ramzan, Johru, Ghulam Muhammad, Wishu, Premchand and Imdad Ali.

Thatta District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Ali Wasan and District Coordination Officer (DCO) Jaffar Abbasi put the toll at 20. The DPO said there were between 15 and 20 people in the van.

The traffic was disturbed following the accident, hampering the rescuers’ efforts to shift the casualties to the hospitals.

The DPO said that the van driver was responsible for the accident, but added that the narrow road could have been a factor.

Road accidents on the National Highway near Thatta occur due to rush on the weekends and holidays because people from Karachi visit Keenjhar Lake and historical sites in the district.

The passenger vans and buses are mostly overcrowded and speeding vehicles frequently collide on the meandering road between Thatta and Karachi.

Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Ishratul Ebad ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.