Overloaded pickup: At least 15 dead in Shikarpur road crash

Vehicle fell into Kirthar canal; victims mostly women and children.

SUKKUR: At least 15 people were reportedly killed on Wednesday evening when a Datsun pickup fell in Kirthar Canal, some 10 kilometres away from Shikarpur’s Garhi Yasin Town.

The vehicle, carrying more than two dozen passengers, was en route to Golo Daro from Garhi Yasin Town. According to reports, when the pickup was close to Golo Daro police station, its tie rod broke. The vehicle spun out of control and fell into the canal.

Police and local residents rushed to the scene, and divers started searching for bodies. The bodies fished out so far include four women and five children. Some of the bodies were identified as Umeda Khatoon, Dur Naz, Aisha and Singhar Khatoon. Two out of the five children’s bodies were identified as Abid and Rashid.

The divers temporarily halted the search for the remaining bodies by late Wednesday, after darkness fell.  Several bodies are still missing.



Sindh Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani confirmed to Daily Sindh Express that at least 15 passengers died. “A man informed me that 15 people have died in the accident including women and children,” Durrani said.

However, the driver of the vehicle, Imamdin Sabhayo, jumped out and managed to escape as the vehicle spun out of control. Villagers said that the pickup was overloaded. Most of the missing passengers are women and children. District officials along with rescue teams reached the site after receiving directives from Durrani.

(ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SULTAN RIND FROM SHIKARPUR)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2012.