Burnt Karachi van was unfit to be driven: inquiry report

KARACHI: An inquiry report into the tragic van fire incident on Sunday has revealed that the vehicle which caught fire was not fit to be on the road. 

A picnic turned into a horrific tragedy on Sunday as six of a family were burnt to death while five others injured as their van caught fire in Garden area of the city.

Following the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered Transport Minister Nasir Shah to form a committee to probe the incident.

The committee was to determine whether the van which caught fire was fit to be on the road. 

Sources said on Tuesday that the inquiry report has been finalised. It states that the van was not fit to be on the roads and its fitness certificate had also expired. 

According to the law, public transport vehicles have to get their vehicles’ fitness certified by the relevant department regularly. 

As per some media reports, the van's driver and owner have been booked for murder by the Garden police. 

Six of a family burn to death in Karachi van fire

The vehicle burst into flames after its gas cylinder exploded: rescue officials

Police officials had said on Sunday that the van's gas cylinders were intact and believed short-circuiting to be behind the fire. 

The van's passengers – 11 in total – were on the way to a picnic, according to the injured family members. There were four children inside the van when it burst into flames.

The driver, who had earlier fled the scene, was later arrested after police detained the driver's brother and father in a bid to pressure him to return, said SSP city.

The driver, Fahad, claimed that he tried to rescue passengers from the car but failed. Worried, he fled the scene.