A petition seeking enquiry into the cause of deadly collision between an oil tanker and passenger coach on Superhighway that claimed at least 62 lives was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday.
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Secretary General Rana Faizul Hassan filed the petition, requesting the court to order enquiry to ascertain the cause of the fatal accident.
Citing the federal and provincial authorities as respondents, the petitioner submitted that the responsibility for the tragedy squarely rests on the government and fire department. He added that the passengers were burnt alive as the both vehicle caught fire but fire brigade did not arrive timely.
Moreover, he said, the bus was overloaded and lacked the proper emergency exit. The petitioner said the inaction of relevant authorities to ensure enforcement of traffic rules leads to such accidents.
He told the judges that over 500 hundred people had lost their lives in the past in fire-related incidents and subsequent poor response of the fire department. He recalled that over 59 people were killed and several others injured when a bus had collided head-on with a truck near Khairpur, adding that several traffic accidents were reported because of non-adherence to traffic laws but the authorities concerned were reluctant in taking action against the violators.