KARACHI: A deadly crash on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road early Sunday, which killed two siblings under a heavy truck, triggered mob violence that saw at least seven such vehicles set ablaze.
The incident took place late in the night between Saturday and Sunday in the metropolis’s Federal B Area, where the truck ran over the motorcycle.
Speaking to reporters, SP Gulberg Iqbal Shaikh said that the motorcycle was carrying a father, his son, and daughter at the time of the collision.
The three sustained injuries in the incident; however, the siblings — 22-year-old Mahnoor and 14-year-old Ali Raza — later succumbed to their wounds, he added.
Following the accident, residents in the area became enraged, setting fire to several dumper trucks.
The officer said the dumper truck driver was assaulted by residents before being taken into custody in an injured state.
He confirmed that seven dumper trucks were torched, with operations underway to clear the charred vehicles from the road.
Traffic on Rashid Minhas Road was suspended after the incident. Traffic is being diverted from the Sohrab Goth flyover towards the Shahrah-e-Pakistan Water Pump.
Governor Tessori grieved by accident
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of two lives, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori prayed for the swift recovery of the injured father, according to a statement issued by the Governor House.
He also called upon the residents to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
Tessori directed the Sindh government to ensure strict punishment for the driver found responsible and to rein in the “dumper mafia”.
“The Sindh government should rein in the dumper mafia that is endangering people’s lives,” he stressed.
