DADU, Aug 22: Five devotees of Qalandar Lal Shahbaz lost their lives in an accident, while four of suffocation on Friday.

According to reports five people were killed and 12 injured when the van they were travelling in collided with a truck on Indus Highway at Baz Kando Bridge near Khanoth.

The devotees were returning to Hyderabad after attending Urs celebrations and on reaching Baz Kando bridge, their vehicle collided with a truck resulting in the death of Ms Zahida, Irshad Bibi, Shafqat of Lahore, Mohammad Nasir and Mohammad Asif of Noorani Basti, Hyderabad, while Nusrat Bibi, Shamim, Sughra, Razia, Bashir, Shahbaz, Surayya, Aijaz, Iqbal, Illahi Bux, Nawab and Suleman received injuries. The injured were taken to the Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro and the bodies to Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. The truck driver escaped from the scene.

Over crowding in Sehwan suffocated to death four more people thus taking the toll to 17 in last four days.

Only one was identified as Abdul Hamed of Nawabshah, while others could not be.—BoC