Balochistan: In a tragic incident on Wednesday, a truck carrying pilgrims fell into a ditch in Balochistan's Hub district, killing 17 people and leaving more than 35 others injured, police said on Thursday, Geo News reported.
Social worker Saad Edhi informed journalists that the information about the accident was received by 11 pm on Wednesday, and the rescue operation was completed within two hours.
According to Geo News, the pilgrims were going to pay homage at the remote Muslim Sufi shrine Shah Noorani in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan when the mishap occurred.
The driver of the truck, Karim Baksh, who was also injured in the incident, has been taken into custody. The police official added that the accident occurred due to a turn during the drive, as per Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sakro Wajid Ali.
The incident took place when a truck transporting pilgrims from Thatta veered off the road in the Hub district en route to the Shah Noorani shrine in Khuzdar, Balochistan, and fell into a ditch, as reported by Geo News.
"More than 70 people had left for the pilgrimage from Makli's Qasim Jokhio village, "the police official said while speaking with the journalist outside the Edhi morgue in Karachi's Sohrab Goth.
At least 15 out of the 17 deceased have been identified, he added. Meanwhile, rescue sources stated that a total of 17 dead and 38 injured have been identified.
Edhi said that the 17 dead bodies were first transferred to the Civil Hospital Hub, then to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth. He added that the 35 injured were brought to the Civil Hospital in Karachi.
"The truck fell into the ditch near Shah Noorani, causing the accident. The exact time of the accident could not be known due to lack of [mobile network] signal," Social worker said, sharing details regarding the accident.
Edhi stated that the dead will be bathed and shrouded, and then taken to their native village in Thatta.
At the Edhi morgue in Karachi, relatives of the victims of the incident informed the media that the deceased will be buried in the native village Makli.
The relatives refused reports regarding the incident occurring due to a race between drivers and said that it took place after the truck went out of control while taking a turn.
"Passengers kept falling from the truck, which resulted in deaths," they said.
The relatives claim that at least 17 people have died in the accident, while 49 injured are under treatment in the civil hospital.
The families told Geo News that the truck left Makli at 2 pm, while the accident took place at 8 pm. They received information about the accident at 9 pm.
The relatives of the victims told journalists that at least 20 of their people have died in the incident, while the injured are still being brought to the hospital.
All the people are from the same Qasim Goth village of Makli and visit every year, they added.
Confirming the incident, which took place late Wednesday night, a spokesperson of the Balochistan government told Geo News that the pilgrims were travelling to the Shah Noorani shrine from Karachi.
Meanwhile, the police said that the pilgrims belonged to Thatta district in Sindh. (ANI)
