Children among 20 devotees killed in Khairpur van accident

SEHWAN: Twenty devotees, including 12 children, were killed and several others sustained injuries when a passenger van met with an accident on the Indus Highway near Khairpur on Thursday, reported local media.

The accident took place when a passenger van carrying devotees, including women and children, and heading towards Sehwan Sharif from Khairpur fell into the deep cut, made for release of flood waters, on the Indus Highway near Khairpur.

According to police, 20 bodies have been retrieved from the cut and shifted to the Syed Abdullah Shah Institute, Sehwan Sharif. The dead include eight women, 10 children and two men, while several others were injured.

It may be recalled that a 30-feet-wide cut was made through the Indus Highway to speed up the flow of water into the Indus River from areas which came under water.

Eyewitnesses said the cut was not closed even after two months by the National Highways Authority due to which the accident took place. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, while expressing grief over the tragic accident, said that he was saddened by the loss of precious lives and had directed the Sindh government to provide all-possible aid to the deceased families.