18 passengers burnt to death as bus catches fire near Nooriabad

KARACHI: At least 18 passengers were burnt to death after a bus caught near fire on the M-9 motorway near Nooriabad in Jamshoro district, BOL News reported.

A passenger bus heading from Karachi to Khairpur Nathan Shah caught fire near Nooriabad and quickly engulfed in flames. Rescue teams rushed to the scene and started to evacuate the passengers from the burning vehicle. However, some passengers were trapped inside the blazing vehicle and could not be offloaded.

DSP Nooriabad Wajid Ali said some passengers trapped inside the coach were burnt to death in the unfortunate incident. He said the victims included women and children mostly belonging to Mugheri community. The police official said the victims were flood affectees who were returning to their villages.

Two passengers suffered serious burn injuries and were shifted to a hospital in Jamshoro for medical treatment. The bodies of the victims have been taken to Jamshoro Hospital. The rescued passengers were taken back to Karachi in another coach.

SHO Nooriabad Hashim Brohi said the death toll has reached 17. He said the bodies of the victims were beyond identification.

Sindh Minister for Minority Affairs and MPA from Nooriabad Gianchand Esrani contacted district administration Jamshoro on the bus accident. Deputy Commissioner Jamshoro briefed the provincial minister that at least 16 people have died in the incident including 12 children, one woman and three men.

An emergency has been imposed in Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro and Burns Ward Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. The minister offered condolences to the bereaved families.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the deputy commissioner and Superintendent Police Jamshoro to immediately reach the site and rescue the victims.

He said the injured should immediately be moved to hospital and all kind of support should be provided to the families of the victims. He expressed grief over the loss of lives and  summoned an investigation report of the incident.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that he has ordered relevant authorities identify the cause behind the fire and those responsible within three days. He questioned why passengers were not swiftly offloaded and the safeguards that had been placed. He said many transporters are negligent over safety measures and should be held accountable.

Chief Secretary Sindh Sohail Rajput also sought details from Deputy Commissioner Jamshoro. He said lives could have been saved by speeding the rescue operation. The chief secretary directed Secretary Health to provide health facilities to injured passengers.

He also summoned a report from Secretary Transport regarding the fitness of the passenger coach. He said the fitness of buses coming in the province must be inspected. He expressed regret over the loss of human lives in the tragic incident.

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