KARACHI: At least four persons, including three women, were killed and seven others injured when a fast-moving minibus overturned at a bus stop near the Baitul Mukkaram mosque in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Thursday afternoon.
This was the second fatal accident on University Road within the past week, as a woman was killed and two others were injured when a minibus hit them near the Urdu university campus last Friday.
A portion of University Road between Hasan Square and Nipa has been dug up for the past many days for the purpose of reconstruction. The driver swerved sharply to avoid a gutter when the fast-moving minibus overturned and fell on the crowd waiting at the bus stop, according to the Aziz Bhatti police.
Gulshan SP Dr Fahad Ahmed said three of the victims were identified as Rabia Hussain, 20, Kiran Zafar, 21, and Amna Batool, while one man who also died on the spot remained unidentified. The officer said seven other people also sustained injuries.
“Initial findings suggested that the accident occurred due to overspeeding,” believed the Gulshan SP.
Asked if ongoing road construction work might have contributed towards the tragedy, the senior officer said thousands of vehicles passed through the area on a daily basis. He reiterated that mainly rash and negligent driving caused the accident.
While the area police impounded the minibus, the driver and conductor managed to escape from the spot following the accident.
Rescue workers rushed to the spot after receiving information about the deaths and retrieved the bodies and the injured people.
“Four people were brought dead at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,” said police surgeon Dr Aijaz Khokhar.
The incident enraged area people who protested against the authorities and raised questions about the way the construction work was being carried out in the city, particularly on University Road.
Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar visited the spot and later enquired after the health of the injured at the hospital.
In a brief talk with media, the mayor lamented that no one was taking the problems of the city “seriously”.
While taking notice of the incident, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah sought an immediate report from the police chief. “Has the minibus gone out of control of the driver owing to overspeeding?” asked the chief minister.
He ordered the police to arrest the driver.
The Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja asked the DIG Traffic to provide all possible cooperation to the police investigators conducting inquiry into the incident.
Mr Khowaja also asked the DIG East Zone to submit a detailed report about the incident.
Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2017
