QUETTA: At least eight people, including women and children, were killed and 16 others injured when a passenger coach collided with a truck loaded with stones near Zero Point in Uthal, the district headquarters of Lasbela, early Thursday morning.
Eyewitnesses said the scene was heart-wrenching as passengers screamed for help and belongings were scattered on the road. The deceased and injured belonged to Panjgur district of Balochistan and parts of interior Sindh.
Soon after the accident, volunteers from Edhi Foundation, Rescue 1122, and Lasbela Welfare Trust reached the spot and shifted the victims to the District Headquarters Hospital, Uthal. Several of the critically injured were later referred to Karachi for further treatment. The deceased were identified as Azima, daughter of Abid, Zeba, wife of Abid, Mola Bakhsh son of Gul Muhammad, and 15-year-old Sabira, while the identities of five others could not be immediately confirmed. The bodies were later handed over to the families.
Traffic on the National Highway was disrupted after the accident but was later restored.
The government of Balochistan expressed sorrow and grief over the tragic loss of lives.
A statement issued here said that the provincial government stands with the affected families in their hour of grief. The government confirmed that rescue teams promptly arrived at the site and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals, where they were provided immediate medical aid.
Authorities have assured that the injured are being provided the best possible medical facilities, while the district administration has been directed to extend full support to the victims’ families. An inquiry has also been launched to determine the cause of the accident so that effective measures can be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, citizens have urged the federal government to expedite the long-delayed project of dualizing the deadly highway, pointing out that most fatal accidents occur within Lasbela’s limits.
