THATTA: A pall of gloom hung over the tiny village of Qasim Jokhio, already in a state of shock and grief since Wednesday (the first day of Eidul Fitr) when hundreds of people from many towns and villages travelled to the homes of bereaved families to condole with them the death of 19 people, 13 of them belonging to a single family.

The 19 dead were among around 70 people who had left the village on Wednesday for the shrine of revered saint Syed Bilawal Shah Noorani, popularly known as ‘Shah Noorani’ in Khuzdar town of Balochistan. The overcrowded truck overturned and plunged into a roadside ditch near Hub late in the evening. Many of the travellers fell off the truck and about two scores of them were crushed under it. Thirteen people died on the spot and five others, among the around 50 injured, died during emergency medical treatment. One family had lost its 12 members in the accident and some other members were receiving treatment at hospitals. On Sunday, another family member, Mohammad Rafique, 32, son of Imam Dino Jokhio, also succumbed to his injuries leading the total death toll in the tragedy to 19.

Touching scenes were witnessed when several hundred relatives of the bereaved families and members of their community visited their homes again on Sunday after hearing the death of Rafiq Jokhio. They took part in the funeral.

The bereaved families and many of their other relatives earn their livelihood through brick kilns and stone crushing machines functioning along the outer boundary walls of the Thatta Cement Factory and its close proximity.

Mourners share feelings and views

Some of the mourners at the condolence gathering were hugging the loudly crying bereaved relatives and many other grief-struck visitors were trying to console them.

Gul Hassan Jokhio, a representative of Qasim Jokhio village residents, lamented the lack of road safety measures pointing out that thousands of people travel through this route for the annual pilgrimage of Shah Noorani. No security measures were seen either even after the 2016 bomb blast at the shrine that had claimed 52 lives, he deplored.

MNA Sadiq Ali Memon and MPAs Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi and Haji Ali Hassan Zardari were among the prominent figures who attended the gathering. They had also provided financial assistance to the bereaved families soon after the accident.

Former MNA Babu Ghulam Hussain has proposed more financial assistance out of the handouts collected by the Auqaf department at the shrine.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2024