The joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the bus-truck collision in Balochistan’s Lasbela district on January 21, that killed at least 27 individuals, submitted its report on Monday terming over-speeding of passenger bus and negligence of truck driver as the underlying reason behind the incident.
At least 27 people were burned to death when a Panjgur-bound bus collided with a truck near Lasbela Cross and caught fire that destroyed both vehicles within a few seconds and left the bodies charred beyond recognition.
The Balochistan government had formed a JIT headed by the Kalat division commissioner to ascertain facts behind the deadly traffic accident.
In the preliminary incident report shared today, the JIT also held the National Highway Authority (NHA) responsible for the traffic accident.
As per the report, the passenger bus was over speeding, while the truck driver suddenly brought truck on the road that caused the collision.
It added that the tank of the truck caught fire and the passenger coach was overloaded with goods as well as jam-packed with passengers.
The report noted that more than 8,000 vehicles including over 1,100 passenger coaches pass through the Quetta-Karachi highway. They recommended an extension of the road and the establishment of a trauma centre to treat the increasing number of passengers injured on the highway.
In Balochistan, around 400 fatal traffic accidents took place during 2018 as per the data obtained from the provincial home department. Over 700 people lost their lives in these accidents, the department said, while terror incidents claimed 306 lives in Balochistan during 2018.
