KARACHI: A woman died and her brother was among the 11 persons who sustained injuries when an apparently speeding heavy vehicle ran over several vehicles on Shahrah-i-Pakistan in the Liaquatabad area.

The incident triggered a protest by area people. However, police prevented the vehicle from being set ablaze by the angry mob, according to officials and witnesses.

It appeared to be another incident resulting from allowing heavy vehicles to operate during daytime.

A heavily loaded dumper truck apparently went out of its driver’s control on the main road near Firdous Shopping Centre and ran over a rickshaw, two cars, a van and three motorbikes, according to Central district’s senior superintendent of police Irfan Ali Baloch.

It caused injuries to 12 persons, including a woman. They were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced the woman as dead while the others were admitted for treatment.

The senior officer said that the horrible accident angered area people who came out on the main road and tried to set the heavy vehicle on fire. But contingents of police rushed to the spot and stopped people from torching the dumper.

The errant driver initially tried to escape but police caught and detained him. The suspect was identified as Naimatullah.

Another police officer, Liaquatabad SHO Rao Shabbir identified the deceased woman as Ambreen Aziz, 30. The SHO said the victim was travelling on a motorbike with her brother, who also sustained injuries in the accident with 10 other persons, all males.

The wounded persons were stated to be out of danger.

The rickshaw was destroyed in the accident while the other four-wheelers and two-wheelers sustained substantive damages.

The arrested driver in his initial statement before the police said that he had applied the brake but it malfunctioned and the vehicle went out of his control, said SSP Irfan Ali Baloch.

However, the SSP added that the police were further investigating the tragic accident.

The Central SSP said that the seized dumper belonged to a private person.

Three of a family killed in generator fire

A young woman and her minor son were among the three family members who died from burn wounds when a generator caught fire in their Lines Area home, police said on Thursday.

Electricity had gone out in the area. The family tried to turn on the generator, which ran out of fuel. As someone tried to put petrol into it while the generator was still running, a fire erupted, causing burn wounds to four family members on Wednesday, said Brigade SHO Nasrullah Khan.

They were shifted to the Burns Centre of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, where Anila, 26, her three-year-old son Ashir and her sister-in-law Kausar, 25, died during treatment.

They had sustained up to 90 per cent burn injuries.

Another family member, Naheed Afzal, 16, was admitted for treatment. She had received 16pc burn wounds and her condition was stated to be out of danger.

Funeral prayers of the deceased family members were held in a mosque in Lines Area, which was largely attended by family members, friends and area people.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2017