Truck driver involved in Thatta accident arrested: police

KARACHI: Police have arrested the driver of a truck that collided with a van in Thatta, leading to the death of nine Karachi picnickers.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Adil Chandio said that driver Mohammad Raees had a learning driving license.

“The initial investigations indicate that the accident occurred due to the negligence of the truck driver,” said SSP Chandio, adding that action is also being taken against the owner of the truck.

The truck driver involved in the accident had fled the scene after the accident.

SSP Chandio shared that all nine people were friends belonging to the same locality of Karachi.

A day earlier, nine picnickers were killed and as many injured when a vehicle they were traveling in rammed into a truck on Hyderabad-Thatta Road near Chilya.

The picnic party was returning to Landhi, Karachi, in a Suzuki van after enjoying a picnic at Keenjhar Lake when the incident took place, killing eight people on the spot. One of the injured, who was taken to a hospital in Thatta, later succumbed to his wounds.

Soon after the incident, police and local people reached the spot to rescue the victims; however, they faced problems due to a lack of resources as the victims were stuck in the damaged vehicle. 

Later, the rescuers shifted all the victims to a Thatta hospital. Meanwhile, volunteers also reached the hospital to donate blood to the injured victims.

Five of the deceased were identified as Abdullah, Qaisar, Tasbeehullah, Wahab and Noorullah while the identification of four others could not be ascertained.

CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the accident and ordered deputy commissioner Thatta to ensure medical facilities for the injured. He also directed the DC to make arrangements for shifting the bodies to Karachi.