Traffic accident involving heavy vehicle claims another life in Karachi

A man was killed in a traffic accident in Karachi on Sunday, as fatalities involving heavy vehicles continue to rise in the metropolis, police said.

According to Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi, “The man was riding the motorcycle when a 16-wheeler trailer (TLA-142) hit him at 4:10am near Erum Bakery, Liaquatabad-4.”

“The man suffered critical injuries and was transported to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he died,” SSP Siddiqi told media.com.

The officer said the deceased was in his early 50s, and his identity could not be ascertained immediately, adding that the accident angered the people who attempted to set the heavy vehicle on fire.

However, the police prevented them and saved the trailer from being torched, arresting the driver, identified as Mohammed Arif.

Rules restricting the movement of heavy vehicles were recently implemented in the metropolis amid rising traffic accidents involving dumpers and tankers and protests over the deaths of citizens.

Last month, the provincial government banned the entry of heavy vehicles into the city during the daytime, only allowing them to operate from 11pm to 6am.

Exemptions, however, were granted to trucks carrying water, petroleum products, medicines, meat and other essential goods.

The Sindh government has also made it mandatory for all heavy vehicles in Karachi to have a physical fitness certificate amid the rising number of traffic accidents involving dumper trucks.

Rights activists and members of civil society said yesterday that the increasing number of fatal road accidents in the city and the poor state of traffic law enforcement were violations of human rights, which the state has failed to safeguard.

Provincial lawmakers belonging to the MQM-P criticised the traffic police for its “failure” to control the heavy vehicles that claimed over 80 lives in January alone.

Four people, including a 10-year-old, were killed, and one was injured in three separate accidents across Karachi on Friday. Yesterday, two people were killed while another was injured in separate incidents.