KARACHI:
At least 12 people, including women and children, were killed and six others critically injured on Friday in a devastating multi-vehicle collision on the M-9 Motorway near DHA City Karachi, police and rescue volunteers said.
The pile-up occurred when a passenger coach, travelling the wrong way, slammed into an oil tanker and a HiAce van at Ansari Bridge. The impact was so severe that many victims were thrown several feet off the bridge onto the dirt track below.
The oil tanker, travelling from Hyderabad to Karachi, lost control after being hit and overturned onto the HiAce and another vehicle. A stone-laden trailer following the tanker also rammed into it but narrowly avoided overturning.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir said the accident occurred within the jurisdiction of Gadap City police station on the Super Highway link road. Police also confirmed that the passenger coach and HiAce van were moving against traffic when the fatal collision occurred.
Teams from Rescue 1122, along with volunteers from the Edhi Foundation and Chhipa Welfare Association, motorway police and local officers rushed to the scene and shifted the injured and bodies to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.
Chhipa Association spokesman Chaudhry Shahid said the deceased included four girls, two boys, three women and three men. He said two of the deceased girls were identified as Muniba, 12, daughter of Ameer Jan, and Saba, 13, daughter of Ghulam Jan.
He added that the six injured were identified as Imran, 3, son of Aamir Jan; Abrar, two months, son of Aamir Jan; Rizwan, 14, son of Ghulam Jan; Aafia, 12, daughter of Ghulam Jan; Aman, 25, son of Ghulam Jan; and Raheema, 5, daughter of Ghulam Jan.
The spokesman said identification of the remaining victims was under way, adding that all victims belonged to the same family – children of two real brothers. The oil tanker driver was identified as 35-year-old Rafiullah.
Additional Inspector General of Motorway Police Munir Ahmed Sheikh said vehicles travelling in the wrong direction caused the crash. He stated that the oil tanker was heading to Karachi, while the HiAce was travelling to Hyderabad and the passenger bus to Sanghar.
“Possibly, the vehicles entered the wrong track after refuelling,” Sheikh said after visiting the crash site with senior Malir police officials, adding that action would be taken against anyone found negligent.
SSP Malir Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told media that both the oil tanker and HiAce drivers were killed. He said oil was leaking from the overturned tanker, forcing rescue teams to operate with extreme caution to prevent any further disaster.
As a result, two lanes of the motorway remained closed, with traffic diverted through a single track. Heavy cranes were summoned to remove the tanker and damaged vehicles and restore traffic flow.
Further investigation revealed that the KarachiSanghar passenger coach had entered the wrong lane on Ansari Bridge, followed by the HiAce. While attempting to rejoin the M-9 towards Hyderabad, the coach collided with the oil tanker, triggering the deadly pile-up.
Edhi officials confirmed that scattered body parts were collected from the accident site and transported to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital by volunteers. Authorities also dispatched the Karachi Road Accident Analysis Team to the location and ordered the immediate securing of the area.
Sindh Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar expressed deep grief over the tragedy, offered condolences to bereaved families and directed authorities to provide immediate medical care to the injured and accelerate relief efforts.
In Islamabad, Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan ordered immediate investigation into the deadly accident. In a special directive to the inspector general of the Motorways Police, he stressed the need for inspection of vehicles entering the motorway.
He stated that the tyre quality of every vehiclelarge or smallentering the motorway must be strictly inspected. He categorically instructed that vehicles equipped with expired or substandard tyres must not be allowed onto the motorway under any circumstances.
