Sehwan collision: Six students among eight killed

SEHWAN:

Eight people, including six students, were killed and three people were critically injured when a train rammed into Qingqi rickshaw in Sehwan Sharif on Tuesday morning.

The rickshaw was taking passengers from Goth Balo Lashari to the Government Boys High in Bhan Saeedabad of Sehwan Sharif, district Jamshoro. It crossed the tracks at around 8:45am, the same time when the speedy Khushal Khan Khattak Express, going from Peshawar to Karachi, was to cross through Sehwan.

The deceased include the rickshaw driver, Asif Rindh, and a mechanic, Sachal Lashari. The bodies were taken to Sehwan Tehsil Hospital. The three injured students were shifted to Hyderabad for treatment.

According to Sehwan Sharif ASP, Captain (retd) Tariq Walayat, the rickshaw driver’s negligence caused the accident, saying that the driver did not keep in mind a train was coming on the same tracks he was crossing. An official of the Pakistan Railway’s Karachi division said the Railways officials, including Karachi Divisional Superintendent, visited Sehwan but due to the possibility of a worsening law and order situation, they could not visit the site of the accident.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2013.