THATTA - Nine passengers were killed and 18 were injured, some of them critically, in three accidents on Thatta-Hyderabad section of the National Highway, according to officials and eyewitnesses.
In the most fatal accident near the hilly town of Jherruck, six labourers of Manik Behrani village lost their lives when the Suzuki pickup they were riding collided head-on with a dumper coming from the opposite direction at Hameed Farm.
The labourers were on way to their work in Kotri SITE area when they met the accident. The deceased were identified as Riaz Behrani, Jalal Behrani, Irfan Behrani, Soomar Behrani, Qurban Behrani and Waqar Behrani.
The injured were identified as Hassan, Munawar, Arbab, Irfan, Maqbool, Nouman, Wajid, Mushtaq, Asif and Gulsher, among others. The critically injured were rushed to Hyderabad while others received first aid at a Jherruck hospital.
The dumper driver tried to flee but was caught by villagers and handed over to police.
In another accident, a pickup and a high-roof carrying picnickers to Keenjhar Lake collided near Ali Bahar on the Thatta-Hyderabad section of National Highway.
Arshad Ali Bangali, a resident of Orangi Town, Karachi, and the driver of the high-roof died on the spot and four occupants of the pickup identified as Chakar Soomro, Mohammad Ali Soomro, Murtaza Soomro and Allah Dino Soomro suffered injuries. They were all picnickers on their way to Keenjhar Lake. In the third accident, a Vigo vehicle ploughed into the back of a pickup, injuring Javed Jakhro, Khamiso Jakhro and Ghulam Sarwar Khaskheli. The injured were taken to the Makli Civil Hospital, where Ghulam Sarwar succumbed to his injuries.
