FIR lodged against van driver; ten of the injured moved to Karachi. PHOTO: FILE
Gloom settled in the air in the small semi-urban town of Daulatpur on Thursday. The grief-stricken families buried their children who were killed in a tragic road accident near Nawabshah a day earlier.
Wednesday’s accident claimed 22 lives including of 19 schoolchildren, two teachers and a driver. At least 12 others were injured.
Amid indescribable scenes of mourning, the bereaved families carried 14 coffins after the funeral prayers to their final resting place.
The funeral of the other eight deceased took place in their respective villages in the surrounding areas of Daulatpur.
The victims of the heart-rending accident were: Hamza Irshad, 14, Mansoorul Haq, 13, Mohammed Asees, 14, Atif Hussain, 11, Yaseen Bashir, 14, Humayun Babur, 13, Arbaz Shah, 12, Noman Rafi, 12, 13-year-olds Syed Anees Shah, Muazam Bhatti and Yasir Masood, 11-year-old Uffaq Arshad, Sadia Mazhar, 14, Fareeha Akram, 12, Iqra Shah, 14, Isra Shah, 13, Yasmeen Arain, 12 and Fareeza Hashmat, 14.
“I was happy that one of my daughters had won the second prize in the competition,” said Aashiq Ali Shah, who lost two daughters in the accident. Iqra and Isra Shah were both eighth graders who had competed in the naat and quiz competition in Nawabshah. The children were returning to their school in Daulatpur from the competition.
Investigation thus far
The police, district administration and the affected families all blame the dumper truck driver who hit the van near the bridge on Rohri canal, some 12 kilometres from Nawabshah. “The dumper suddenly emerged from the bushes and got onto the road in great speed,” said DSP Aijaz Tareen who has been investigating the case. “Its sudden appearance didn’t give time to the van driver to veer his vehicle to the side.” An FIR has been lodged against the driver Zahid Pathan.
However, the unchecked breach of traffic rules and road safety measures are being overlooked in the case. The van was crammed with 34 people, almost double its capacity.
Injured sent to Karachi
Ten of those injured, including four in a critical condition, have been brought to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
The parents of the injured children said all the students in that ill-fated van were the most talented children in the school. “They were given medals and trophies in the quiz and naat competition,” said Ali Sher, whose son is injured. “He was very happy before going to the competition. I wanted to see the trophy in his hands but now I see him struggling in the hospital,” he wept.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2014.
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