32 Passengers Burnt to Death in Road Accident

Some 32 passengers, including women and children, have died in a road accident in Sindh province after a bus carrying passengers from Karachi to Sukkur collided with an oil tanker full of fuel, on Sunday morning, January 23, 2011.

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The collision started an inferno of deadly flames enveloping the vehicles. Of the nearly 50 passengers on the bus, 32 were burnt to death while the rest managed to escape the horror, receiving injuries of various degrees. The Motorway Police called ambulances in emergency from Karachi and Hyderabad to rush the injured to the hospital for treatment and to carry the dead bodies of the 32 deceased to a hospital in Hyderabad.

The accident is reported to have happened on the highway near Nooriabad town, some 80 km from Hyderabad. Some reports say that the driver was responsible for the collision as he fell asleep while steering the bus along the road. The bus rammed into the oil tanker from behind, setting both vehicles on fire explosively. Some of those who burnt to death are said to have been disfigured beyond recognizing.

Transport safety is an issue always hanging like a sword on people traveling in public transport in Pakistan. While minor accidents (not quite meaning they don’t kill) happen almost daily in one or more parts of the country, this accident is an example of the most terrible ones in the recent months. Having traveled several times in public transport with half-sane drivers, I can understand how desperately we need stricter discipline in allowing drivers to carry passengers. This accident could have been prevented with care, which is all we need – care.