HYDERABAD, Oct 11: Ten policemen and a civilian were killed on National Highway when the vehicles carrying them overturned, near Matiari, some 25km from here, on Friday night.

Police sources said the dead were under-training policemen who were going to Police Training School, Shadadpur, in private buses with over 50 other cops. When their bus No 6869 reached near Matiari bypass, it went out of the control of the driver and overturned, As a result 10 policemen and another civilian were killed. Forty-six more were injured.

Police chief A. D. Khwaja told newsmen that the ten under-training policemen of railway police were undergoing training at PTC for the last several months.

Owing to general elections, they were sent on election duty in Badin district, he said.

Out of eleven deceased, eight had been identified as Mohammad Akram (Narowal), Syed Fida Hussain Shah (Muredki), Rana Irfan (Gujranwala), Tahir Hussain alias Deputy (Lahore), Mohammad Amjad Malik, Imran Faiz, Sohab Sadiq and Nisar Ahmed. The three other deceased also included a cleaner of the bus, Karo Choban. He was the resident of Badin and his body has been taken to his native town. Two of the policemen are yet to be identified.

The injured have been admitted to Civil Hospital, Hyderabad.

A police official, who was also coming in another prison van, told Dawn that there were five vehicles transporting the policemen to the PTC, three of them private buses hired for shifting policemen.

He said the deceased and injured included policemen of regular force who were attending lower course at PTC.

APP adds: Twelve cops lost their lives in the accident.