KARACHI: Seven people died, and six others were injured on Sunday when a coaster overturned after colliding with a trailer on Karachi’s Mauripur Road, police reported.
The Mauripur police station confirmed that the accident claimed the lives of four children and two women.
The victims included 40-year-old Sughra, 45-year-old Shazia, 10-year-old Kinza Ahmed, 14-year-old Qadeer Abdul Jabbar, six-year-old Sakeena Manzoor, four-year-old Zeenat Hayat, and an unidentified 40-year-old person.
The injured included 35-year-old Azhar, 35-year-old Bushra, 35-year-old Shabbir, 25-year-old Sadiq, 20-year-old Zainab, and 10-year-old Mudasir. They were all taken to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) for treatment.
Mauripur Station House Officer (SHO) Chaudhry Tufail told Dawn.com that the victims were relatives on their way to a beach picnic. The accident occurred when the trailer took a U-turn, and the speeding coaster, coming from behind, crashed into it and overturned. The trailer’s driver fled the scene, while the coaster’s driver was injured.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the incident and directed the administrations of CHK, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, and SMBB Institute of Trauma to provide the best possible care to the injured. He also demanded a detailed report from Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon and ordered strict measures to prevent future traffic accidents.
CM Shah emphasized that the driving licenses of those speeding on busy roads should be suspended, stating that “Speeding has wrecked joyful homes and taken the lives of innocent children.”
In recent accidents, three people died, and three were injured in a pile-up near Loonikot on the M9 motorway last month. On May 25, five people were killed and 11 injured when a pickup truck collided with a trailer in Jhirk, Thatta. Shortly after, 28 people died and 22 were injured when a bus fell into a ravine in Washuk, Balochistan.
