More than a dozen people, including women and children, were injured when a speeding bus overturned near the Razzaqabad Police Training Centre in the Shah Latif area on Friday, following a reckless attempt to overtake a water tanker on the National Highway, Express News reported.
According to rescue officials, the incident occurred when the water tanker persistently honked and pressured the bus from behind in an apparent attempt to pass. In response, the bus driver accelerated but lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and struck a footpath.
The impact threw several passengers from their seats, many of whom suffered head injuries after striking the bus’s iron fittings.
Edhi Foundation volunteers Sajid Pathan and Abid Rasheed said the bus was carrying members of a family from Orangi Town, who were on their way to Kalri Lake for a picnic.
While many initially declined medical assistance, police and rescue workers convinced them to receive first aid. At least six passengers with more serious injuries were transported to a nearby hospital.
Read More: Karachi road accident leaves two dead as bus loses control
Those injured and taken to hospital were identified as Mukhtar Ahmed (48), Mehtashim Hussain (25), Naveed Hussain (18), Azeem Shakir (20), Naqqash (20), Gulshan (26), Farhan (30), his sister Sehr (20), younger brother Arman (17), and their father Qadir Hussain (58).
A number of women passengers refused to be taken to hospital and instead requested to return home. Police said the tanker driver managed to flee the scene and has yet to be traced. A case is likely to be registered.
The incident highlights the growing dangers of unregulated commercial traffic and reckless driving on Karachi’s main arteries, particularly on weekends and holidays when family outings become more frequent.
Last year, a similar tragedy unfolded in the Mauripur area, where seven picnickers — including three children — were killed and 14 others injured after a coaster collided with a trailer and overturned. That accident, too, involved families headed for a picnic.
