THATTA, Aug 30: Nine workers were killed and 12 others injured, seven of them critically, on Tuesday when a dumper truck collided head-on with a pick-up coming from the opposite direction near the China Pipe Factory on the National Highway, some 55 kilometres from here.

DPO Thatta Dawood Ahmed Junejo who rushed to the spot soon after receipt of the news told Dawn that a Mazda pick-up carrying over two dozen workers hired by a poultry farm owner was heading to Dhabeji, collided with a Karachi-bound, rashly-driven dumper truck as it attempted to avoid hitting a motorcyclist.

He said as a result of the collision between the dumper truck (KSC-1993), the pickup (JX-8787 and a motorcycle (HDT-2239), seven occupants of the pick-up and two motorcyclists died in the accident.

The deceased were identified as police head constable Nizamuddin of the Steel Town police station and constable Ashiq Hussain, workers Abdul Shakoor, Fayaz Ahmed, Ilyas Masih and Saleem Akhtar. The names of the two other victims could not be ascertained immediately.

Four critically injured persons — Ghulam Abbas, a resident of Mandi Bhauddin, Rashid Khan, a resident of Dera Ismail Khan, Sanwal Faqir and Mohammad Taufail — were rushed to Karachi for treatment.