QUETTA/GWADAR: Three people, including two tourists, were killed and 16 injured in two road accidents in Fort Munro and Ziarat on Sunday.

Officials said a van carrying tourists from Alipur, Muzaffargarh in southern Punjab was travelling to Ziarat when it fell into a roadside ditch at the Fort Munro pass.

Two passengers were killed on the spot, and 14 others, including women and children, were injured, said officials in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, which borders Punjab.

The deceased and injured, who belonged to the same family, were immediately shifted to Dera Ghazi Khan Hospital by border police.

Missing fisherman’s body recovered from Arabian Sea

The accident was apparently caused by speeding and reckless driving.

In another accident at Zero Point on Quetta-Ziarat Road, one person was killed, and two were injured.

Levies officials said a vehicle carrying three passengers fell into a roadside ravine due to speeding.

Levies personnel arrived at the scene and shifted the dead and injured to Ziarat district hospital. The victims belonged to Peshawar.

Fisherman’s body recovered

Separately, the body of one of the three fishermen who went missing in the sea four days ago was recovered on Sunday.

According to officials, the victim, Asif, had gone on routine fishing with his father and younger brother in the Arabian Sea near Ormara on July 3.

When they didn’t return the same day, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), local fishermen, and other rescue teams launched a search operation in the sea close to Ormara with the help of the Pakistan Navy.

Asif’s body was recovered from the sea by a PMSA rescue team after three days of search.

The body was moved to a hospital in Ormara and later handed over to the heirs.

The operation is still ongoing to locate the other two victims, according to the Gwadar deputy commissioner and a PMSA official.

Sources said the three men went fishing despite the rough sea in monsoon season.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2024