December 06, 2008	Saturday	Zilhaj 7, 1429

KARACHI, Dec 5: A man and his young daughter died when their vehicle fell some 70 feet on a disused rail track passing through Gulistan-i-Jauhar, on Friday.

The victims’ bodies were recovered after four to five hours of intense effort undertaken by volunteers of an ambulance service and area residents. The accident exposed the inefficiency of government departments and rescue agencies, as neither a fire brigade nor a civil defence vehicle ever arrived at this difficult-to-reach accident site.

There are conflicting reports as to how the accident took place. Some say the Suzuki pickup truck was reversing when it fell, while an eyewitness told Dawn that the vehicle was travelling at high speed while negotiating the narrow turn.

Quoting the family, police said that one of the deceased, Hasnain, 32, was employed as a bottled water supplier. On Friday he went home to the Iqra complex for lunch, where his youngest daughter, Wajiha, 7, insisted that he take her with him.

Hasnain acceded to his daughter’s wish, taking her with him to the Moon Gardens apartment complex, situated right next to the ravine where the accident occurred.

No rescue efforts could be carried out for several hours after the accident occurred, as none of the personnel present at the scene were either trained or qualified to climb the 50 or so feet down to the crash site, which was inundated with water.

Locals in the area said the rail track, which is meant to be part of the circular railway system, has been redundant for several years, and a contractor had recently blocked the track so that a bridge adjoining Railway Colony to Gulistan-i-Jauhar could be widened. As a result, several feet of water accumulated on the tracks. Further, there is no protective wall along the cliff or bridge, and locals say the “construction mafia” bulldozed whatever small wall there was.

After nearly five hours of intense effort, and the employment of a crane, rescue workers were able to climb down to the tracks and recover the body of the man and his young daughter.

Rescue workers say that while there was still some life in Hasnain when he was rescued, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.

The accident proved to be shocking for the entire neighbourhood, as they stood watching as untrained volunteers worked at a snail’s pace to rescue the victims.

‘Body found in Pathan Colony’

The body of an unidentified man, killed by unknown persons, was found in Pathan Colony. The body of the man, bound and stuffed in a gunny sack, was recovered in the Orangi Nallah, in the limits of the Site police station. Police say the man was killed about two days ago.

After recovering the body, police shifted it to Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Following legal formalities, it was sent to the Edhi morgue for the purpose of possible identification.