BADIN: Nine people were killed and 64 others injured when the bus they were travelling in overturned at Fatehpur stop along Badin-Karachi road some 10 kilometres from here on Friday morning.

Police, area people and hospital sources said that the bus, carrying around 70 passengers and crew, had left Mithi for Karachi when it met with the accident.

They said seven passengers, including a woman and her one-year-old baby, died on the spot and 64 injured people were taken to the Indus (civil) Hospital for treatment. Reports in the evening suggested that three of them remained under treatment there while 10 others were referred to different hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Two of them also succumbed to their injuries during treatment. Forty-seven people were provided medical assistance and discharged at the Indus Hospital.

The deceased were identified as driver Mohammad Ramzan, 45 (Mianwali), Pra­kash Satram, 35 (Mithi), Abdu­llah Ghulam Moham­mad, 48 (Badin), Zainab Haji Haroon Umrani, 55 (Kaloi town, Tharparkar), Madan Lal, 32 (Chelhar town, Tharparkar), Teerath Chando Mal Lohano, 60, and his grandson Bhisham Teerath, (Mithi) and Yas­meen Khatti, 36, and her one-month-old daughter Neha Rizwan (Badin).

Some of the injured stated that the driver lost control of the steering while trying to save a motorcyclist who suddenly emerged in front of the speeding coach.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in a statement expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the accident. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah,

Federal Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza and others also expressed their shock and grief over the tragic incident.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2019