NAWABSHAH: A total of 12 people were killed and 18 others injured in a head-on collision between a Quetta-bound coach and a passenger van at Lashari stop near Bucheri on Mehran Highway, 15 kilometres from Nawabshah, on Friday.

The van was heading towards Nawabshah while the coach was on its way towards Quetta when the accident happened.

Sources said that the accident occurred when a car ahead of the coach got out of control and overturned upon which the coach driver also applied emergency breaks and collided with the van coming from the opposite direction.

It took a lot of time for ambulances to reach the spot.

The bodies and the injured were taken to the Peoples Medical University Hospital in police mobiles and Edhi ambulances.

Three injured were said to be in critical condition.

Those who died included siblings Iqra and Kiran and Rashid Ali from Bucheri, Shazia, Zainab, Asif, Badr, Allah Dino, Mohammed Hanif, Zafar Ali and van driver Karim Bux and one other victim whose identity could not be ascertained.

The deceased were going to Nawabshah in the van.

The deputy commissioner of Shaheed Benazirabad, the commandant Indus Rangers and other officials reached the hospital and supervised the arrangements, where emergency was declared and all doctors were called by the administration to provide maximum support.

No FIR of the incident was registered till the filing of this report.

DIG Shaheed Benazirabad Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh had taken serious notice of the incident and formed an inquiry committee headed by SSP Sanghar Pir Mohammed Shah which would submit its report within three days.

Meanwhile police arrested coach driver Mohammed Iqbal Malik and took the vehicle into custody.

Violation of SC order

Meanwhile Abdul Sattar Jamali, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Nawabshah, urged the authorities concerned to take notice of the violation of the decision of the Supreme Court banning movement of heavy vehicles, including buses, trailers and trucks, on Mehran Highway.

Speaking to reporters at the Nawabshah Press Club, he said that a large number of people had already lost their lives due to a number of major accidents on the route and urged the authorities to order registration of an FIR against traffic police officials concerned who were allowing movement of heavy vehicular traffic on Mehran Highway for “minting money”.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2018