Two people, including a minor boy, were killed and three others injured in road accidents in the city on Saturday, police and rescue officials said.
In the first incident, a speeding trailer went out of control and crashed into a private bank building near Katti Pahari in North Nazimabad, killing the driver.
According to SHO Shahid Baloch, the accident occurred after the trailer’s brakes reportedly failed, causing the vehicle to lose control and ram into the building of a private bank. Rescue sources said the driver died on the spot.
The deceased was identified as 21-year-old Ehsan, son of Sanaullah. According to Edhi Foundation officials, the body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital by ambulance. Police said further investigations into the incident are under way.
In a separate accident, a young boy was killed and three other children — a sister and two brothers — were injured when a speeding water tanker hit a motorcycle near the Manghopir Ijtima Gah area.
According to police, the accident occurred near Ilyas Masjid on Gulshan-e-Bahar Road in Manghopir when a fast-moving water tanker rammed into the motorcycle carrying the children on their way to school.
The victims were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The deceased child was identified as five-year-old Hassan, son of Faisal.
The injured were identified as 18-year-old Sharjeel, 15-year-old Fatima and seven-year-old Abdullah, all children of Qaiser. Family members said the deceased and injured children are cousins.
According to the family, the tanker was coming from the wrong side when it struck the motorcycle. Qaiser told the media that his son Sharjeel was taking his siblings and cousin from Mehran City in Manghopir to Khursheed School in Gulshan-e-Bahar when the tanker, coming downhill from the Ijtima Gah side, hit them.
Hassan, who was sitting at the front of the motorcycle, suffered a fatal head injury and died on the spot. Residents caught the tanker driver and handed him over to police. Police later arrested the suspect, identified as Fayyaz, son of Amin, registered a case and impounded the tanker.
According to reports, the number of people killed in water tanker-related accidents in Karachi this year has reached 15, including children.
On Friday, four people were killed and three others injured in traffic accidents in different parts of Karachi. In the New Town area, a speeding vehicle hit a motorcycle on the National Stadium Bridge, killing two young men and injuring another. The victims were taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where the deceased were identified as 27-year-old Zohaib, son of Ayub Umar, and 22-year-old Raza, while the injured was identified as 27-year-old Kamilah, son of Kamal. All three were residents of Landhi.
The injured man told police that six friends were travelling on three motorcycles to offer prayers at Faizan-e-Madina when a speeding vehicle struck their motorcycle from behind and fled the scene.
In another accident, a motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a water tanker near the Civic Centre on University Road within the limits of the Aziz Bhatti Police Station. The deceased was identified as 55-year-old Bashir, son of Abdul Hakeem, a resident of PIB Colony. Police said the driver fled the scene after the accident, while the tanker was taken into custody. Search for the driver and owner is under way.
In another accident within the jurisdiction of the Kalri police station near Mauripur, a speeding bus ran three men over who were changing the tyre of their vehicle near Dua Hotel. As a result, 50-year-old Sadiq was killed on the spot, while two others — 35-year-old Sadaqat and 55-year-old Imran Gul — were seriously injured and shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi.
Police said the victims were transporting vegetables from the vegetable market when their vehicle’s tyre punctured and they stopped to replace it. During this time, a speeding route A-3 Mazda bus hit them. The bus driver managed to flee the scene after the accident.
