Dozens of vehicles skidded violently on the bridge of Hassan Square Interchange during the wee hours of Monday as the entire left lane was covered with mysterious oil patches.
Similar incidents have also been reported from other avenues like the Karsaz Road and the Shahrah-e-Faisal, resulting in injuries to many citizens including women and children.
A witness, Atif Khan, told this scribe, “It was a dark night with the streetlights switched off. I was travelling with my family from Liaquatabad towards the Karsaz Road.
“When I was descending the bridge, the landing near the Expo Centre, I saw that the vehicles ahead of me suddenly started skidding towards the extreme left, striking the concrete walls.
“Before I could understand the situation, I lost control of my own car that also skidded towards the wall and came into contact with it.
“As I disembarked the car, I was shocked to see that all the vehicles in the left lane behind me, including motorcycles, were slipping and colliding with the fence, resulting in severe injuries to the motorcyclists and other travellers, including women and children, who lay wounded on the road.
“I dialled the police helpline, 15, immediately and when I succeeded in contacting the duty staff after six or seven attempts, I requested them to do something about the situation.
“I also requested two uniformed policemen, who were standing outside a police station near the Mashriq Building, to do something about the situation, but they said that it was not their duty to warn people or to close the route, and that the Traffic Police was responsible for that.
“I then continued my journey and preferred to stick to the right and centre lanes, but when I reached near Karsaz, I witnessed two other motorcyclists with families, travelling in the left lane, slipping and falling onto the road.
“Moreover, family members of an unconscious woman lying on the road were trying to bring her back to consciousness.”
Another commuter said, “I was travelling on the Shahrah-e-Faisal between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM, coming from Malir towards downtown.
“When I reached the Natha Khan Bridge, I found over five motorcycles lying in the left lane, surrounded by a crowd of people. People told me that some motorcyclists had slipped due to some chemical or oil on the road.
“It is very painful to see how cheap human lives are in our country, and most government departments consuming heavy amounts of our taxes are negligent enough to even realise the importance of a citizen’s life.”
