Islamabad [Pakistan], February 16 (ANI): At least 16 passengers were killed and 45 others were injured on Saturday in two accidents involving vehicles heading to Sehwan city of Pakistan‘s Sindh ahead of the urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Dawn reported.
As many as five people were killed and 10 others injured when the van they were onboard collided with a trailer near Qazi Ahmed town of Sindh‘s Shaheed Benazirabad District. In another incident, 11 passengers from the Burewala area of Pakistan‘s Punjab were killed, and 35 others were injured in an accident that occurred near Ranipur in Khairpur district.
Qazi Ahmed Station House Officer (SHO) Waseem Mirza has confirmed the death toll and added that the accident occurred on Amri Road near Qazi Ahmed. Mirza said the van carrying devotees was heading to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar‘s shrine in Jamshoro district’s Sehwan city, according to a Dawn report.
The police official said, “The speedy van initially hit a donkey cart, followed by a major collision with a trailer coming from the opposite side.” According to Mirza, rescue teams and police initially reached the spot and took two bodies and the injured people to Qazi Ahmed Taluka Hospital.
Waseem Mirza said some critically injured people were referred to the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women in Nawabshah, where three were pronounced dead on arrival. Khairpur Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Fawad Shah said a local bus travelling from Burewala collided with a rickshaw that was crossing the National Highway near Ranipur. According to Shah, the driver probably tried to save the rickshaw.
Ahmed Fawad Shah said that 11 passengers were killed and 35 others were injured in the accident. It is not clear if the people who were sitting in the rickshaw were among the casualties. The dead and the injured people were taken to three different health facilities for treatment, including Rural Health Centre (RHC) Hingorja and Ranipur, besides Gambat Institute of Medical and Sciences (GIMS) Khairpur.
SSP Khairpur Tauheed Memon said the bus overturned after colliding with the rickshaw. He said, “All dead and injured come from Burewala and were travelling to Sehwan to attend Qalandar’s urs.” He stated that legal formalities are being complete,d and then the injured and people who died in the incident will be taken to Burewale, Vehari.
Memon said that the senior superintendent of police and Vehari deputy commissioner were in contact with the Khairpur police and administration. SSP Khairpur said that he had visited the site of the incident to oversee the rescue operation. He said that injured and people who died in the accident were being identified in hospital for legal formalities, Dawn reported.
Road accidents on highways in Pakistan occur frequently, and the main causes are speeding, hazardous overtaking, and disregard for traffic rules. Earlier on Friday, five people travelling in a car died while six others in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) were injured when the SUV travelling from the wrong side of the Indus Highway rammed into the car near Jamshoro‘s Sann town.
On January 22, at least one person was dead and 22 others were injured after a bus heading to Karachi collided with a stationary trailer near Nooriabad on the M-9 Karachi-Hyderabad motorway. Two youths and a child were killed when two motorcycles were hit by speeding vehicles on the Indus Highway in Jamshoro on January 13, as per the Dawn report.
On January 9, four people, including a newly-wed man and his mother, were killed, and six others were injured when two cars collided near Dhabeji on the Karachi-Thatta section of the National Highway. (ANI)
Pakistan: Traffic deaths in Karachi reach 108 in 2025 amid rising accidents
Karachi [Pakistan], February 15 (ANI): Karachi has witnessed a sharp rise in traffic-related fatalities in 2025, with 108 deaths reported so far. Among them, 72 occurred in urban areas, while 24 were recorded in suburban regions, The News International reported. The increase in accidents, particularly those involving dumper trucks, has raised growing concerns over road safety and heavy vehicle regulation.
One of the accidents took place near Mai Kolachi, where a freight train collided with a trailer, followed by an oil tanker crashing into them from behind. The impact crushed the front of the oil tanker, leaving its driver trapped inside. Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene and worked intensively to free him. After prolonged efforts, they successfully extracted the driver from the wreckage.
;Police, Rangers, and emergency responders managed the situation at the crash site, while authorities confirmed that no railway crossing existed at the track where the collision occurred. Efforts were also underway to transfer oil from the damaged tanker to prevent further risks.
The crash led to severe congestion on Mai Kolachi Road. While police reopened the route from Boat Basin to Jinnah Bridge, the section from Mai Kolachi to Boat Basin remained closed. Traffic was diverted from MT Khan Road to PIDC, while vehicles from Boat Basin were redirected toward Bilawal Chowrangi. Authorities were still working to remove the freight train, trailer, and tanker from the road.
In another fatal accident, a person was killed in Malir’s Memon Goth. Initially, rescue workers suspected that a dumper truck was involved, but investigations later found no evidence confirming this. The identity of the deceased remains unknown, and authorities are continuing their inquiries, as per reports by The News International.
Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon addressed the media on Thursday regarding government measures to tackle the rising number of road accidents. Following a high-level meeting chaired by the chief minister, officials decided to enforce mandatory fitness and registration checks for all heavy transport vehicles. Moving forward, large vehicles must have valid fitness certificates, and those failing to meet the criteria will be prohibited from operating.
Memon also announced that the water board has introduced a barcode system for registered water tankers operating from authorised hydrants. Only vehicles that pass safety inspections will receive barcodes, while unregistered ones will be seized.
Additionally, previously registered heavy vehicles will undergo re-evaluation. A 30-day grace period has been granted for vehicles to obtain the required certifications. To further ease congestion and enhance safety, dumper truck operating hours in Karachi have been revised. Previously permitted from 11:00 pm to 6:00 pm, dumpers will now be restricted to operating between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am, The News International reported.
Speaking on Geo Pakistan, Memon stated that blaming a single person or institution for Karachi‘s increasing road accidents is unfair. He emphasised that responsibility is shared among the government, reckless drivers, and those who violate traffic laws. He also clarified that vehicle fitness regulations are not new and that the government is considering outsourcing the transport department to improve enforcement. (ANI)
