Three young men perish in horror smash on highway

Three young men lost their lives and nine others were wounded in a horror smash on the National Highway in Karachi on Monday.

Police said the driver of a passenger coach lost control over his speedy vehicle, causing it to overturn and hit an oncoming coaster near the Landhi Jail. The coaster was carrying employees of Port Qasim.

The front of both vehicles was badly damaged in the collision, which left three passengers identified as Waqas, Zubair and Ali Raza dead, and nine others injured. The casualties were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The police said the accident took place apparently due to fog.

A massive traffic jam occurred on the highway following the collision, leaving motorists stuck for about an hour. In another collision involving a speeding dumper and a bus carrying wedding guests, around two dozen people were wounded when on the Super Highway.

Police said all the injured persons were relatives and residents of Nazimabad and Orangi Town localities. They had been returning home after attending a wedding ceremony in Hyderabad when they met with the accident.

36 huts destroyed

At least three dozen makeshift huts were reduced to ashes as a fire wreaked havoc in a shanty town near the Nagan Chowrangi area of the city on Monday.

A spokesperson for the fire brigade said that as they received the information, they immediately sent fire tenders to the site to extinguish the blaze. The loud explosion of a gas cylinder during the fire added to panic at the scene. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported in the fire.

The spokesperson said some 40 makeshift huts were located on an empty plot in the area, of which, 36 were gutted by the fire, which also caused damage to one motorcycle. A heavy contingent of law enforcers also reached the site to inquire into the incident. Police said initial investigations suggested that the fire had not taken place accidentally and there was some criminal element involved. Further investigations are under way.