BAHAWALPUR: A man was killed and five other people were injured when a chemical tanker hit a car at Pull Mohana near Uch Sharif, about 70 kilometres off here, on Thursday night.

According to Ahmedpur East Rescue Emergency Service and police sources, a speeding tanker laden with chemicals on its way from Tarinda Muhammad Panah to Alipur hit an oncoming car. A passerby, Shakil, was killed while five car occupants -- Ilyas, Naseer, Hameedan, Meadoo and four-year-old Sumair -- were injured. All the injured were admitted to the Rural Health Centre (RHC) of Uch Sharif.

Assistant Commissioner Mahar Abdul Rauf and DSP Ghulam Dastagir, along with a police contingent, rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area. They shifted the injured to the health facility.

DPO’s Public Relations Officer Jam Sajid said the tanker had chemicals in drums and luckily it did not overturn. He said the Uch Sharif police registered a case against the driver for speeding.

DEATH TOLL: The death toll of Ahmedpur East tragedy rose to 218 on Friday.

According to the focal person of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, the death toll rose to 218 and 38 injured are still being treated in hospitals.

PROTEST: A number of people affected by canal breach on Friday staged a demonstration against alleged apathy of the officials of the irrigation department.

The protesters from Basti Chah Dhoriwala alleged that even five days after the breach in 6-L canal there was no official effort to drain out the water from standing crops of sugar and cotton. They said the breach damaged a number of abodes and the dwellers were forced to live in squalid conditions.

They raised slogans against the department saying they were forced to spend time under the open sky. Some of them alleged that irrigation officials had threatened them that they would have them implicated in cases for causing breach.

Ahmedpur East Circle Executive Engineer Sajid Mahmood told Dawn that an inquiry had been ordered and officials deputed to drain out the water.

MURDER: A woman was allegedly strangled to death by her husband and two other persons at village No 25, Khichiwali, on Friday.

The Hasilpur police said Rabia Bibi married Allah Rakha about seven months ago but the couple would often quarrel over domestic disputes. Allah Rakha, along with his father Ghulam Shabbir and brother Tahir, strangled her to death. Police sent the body for postmortem and registered a case against the suspects.

ARRESTS: The Kotwali police claimed on Friday to have arrested three youngsters for selling kites.

Police said they recovered 1,000 kites and string from Sadiq Hassan, Muhammad Umar and Muhammad Zain.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2017