DADU: Eight people were killed and 28 others injured when a Karachi-bound passenger coach from Larkana rammed into a long vehicle from behind near Shaheed Makhdoom Bilawal town, some 15 kilometres from here, along the Indus Highway in the early hours of Thursday.

Emergency was declared at Dadu Civil Hospital and several other hospitals of the district soon after the accident as ambulances rushed to the site. Residents of the nearby localities and police joined the rescue work which had already been started by passing commuters. The body of the bus had to be cut with machines to take out several bodies and many people were trapped in the badly smashed vehicle.

The deceased were identified as Shabbir, son of Sahib Khan Shabrani, 45, Mohammed Aslam, 42, Arshad, son of Ahmed Nawaz Khoso, Noor Mohammed, 36, son of Abdul Rashid, Wazir Ali, 43, son of Gohar Ali, Ghulam Shabbir, 29, son of Ahmed Khan, Tariq Ali, son of Ali Bux Loond and Ms Malookan Jamali.

Bodies of the eight persons who died on the spot were sent to their respective areas of residence in Karachi, Qambar, Warah, Larkana and Moro. A total of 28 injured people were transported to various hospitals of the district and 14 of them were later referred to major hospitals in Hyderabad, Larkana, Nawabshah and Jamshoro due to their serious condition.

The seriously injured victims were identified as Ishfaq Solangi, Junaid Bhutto, Faisal Shah, Asif Khoso, Ms Shaista Kumbhar, Mohammad Bux, Asadullah, Ghulam Murtaza Gopang, Shahbaz Aslam, Shahzeb Aslam, Liaquat Ali Khan, Ali Mohammed, Ghulam Rasool, Mohammad Yaseen Solangi, Ashfaq Solangi, Abdul Karim and Illahi Bux Chandio.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2018