23 killed in Thatta road accident

At least 23 people were killed and more than 20 were injured when a passenger van and a bus collided with each other on National Highway near Thatta on Sunday.

The speeding passenger van, which was traveling towards Karachi from Badin, ran into a bus headed to Shah Aqiq from Karachi. The bus tore through the van, blasting it apart, and plunged into a ditch. Locals, police and emergency services were carrying out rescue and relief activities, but their work was hampered by darkness at the site of the crash. Some dead bodies and injured people were stuck in the twisted pieces of the van and the rescue teams had to cut the seats to free them.

According to police sources, 20 passengers were inside the van while the bus was carrying some 70 people. The dead bodies and injured people were rushed to Civil Hospital Makli, where an emergency was declared. Rangers were also called to the hospital as a security measure after a large crowd gathered there. Eight of the most seriously wounded had to be shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi and their condition was stated to be critical. Thatta District Police Officer Muhammad Ali Wassan said all the passengers of the van seemed to have perished in the accident. The accident caused a severe traffic jam on the busy National Highway. – PT