A couple was killed in a road accident on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal on Wednesday evening around Iftar time, making them the latest couple to fall victim to a traffic accident, according to police and hospital officials.
This is the second such accident in the metropolis, as a man and his pregnant wife were killed when a water tanker hit their motorcycle at Malir Halt on Monday. The severely injured woman gave birth to a baby boy immediately after the incident on the road, who too died soon after being born.
When asked about today’s incident, Traffic Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Pir Mohammed Shah told media that at the time of the accident, roads at Sharea Faisal, which are otherwise very busy, were empty.
“Ostensibly, the car driver was … over-speeding when he hit the bike near Karsaz, resulting in [the] killing of the young couple,” DIG Shah said, adding that the driver was arrested and his vehicle was impounded.
A team of experts was “assessing the causes of the accident”, the DIG added.
Another officer, Gulshan Superintendent of Police (SP) Ahmed Iqbal Memon, told media that the couple had dismounted the motorbike on the road to break their fast, as it was Iftar time when the car “apparently driven in a reckless manner” hit them.
“A mob gathered there (at the scene) and damaged the vehicle, however, police arrived and prevented the situation from deteriorating further by arresting the errant driver,” the SP said.
Asked about claims by witnesses that two cars coming from the airport towards the city were involved in a race, SP Memon said he was unaware of any racing.
Witnesses also told reporters that there were four people in the car but three of them allegedly fled. The car driver allegedly also attempted to flee but his tyre burst. CCTV footage showed men hitting the car with sticks and destroying its doors.
Meanwhile, East Karachi police in a statement said that a “regrettable incident” took place within the limits of Sharea Faisal police station when the speeding car hit and killed the couple travelling on the motorcycle. “Both the man and his wife died on the spot,” the statement read.
According to the statement, East Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Farrukh Raza directed the Sharea Faisal Station House Officer to arrest the suspect at the earliest.
The police team immediately arrived at the site of the incident and arrested the driver, impounding his car. The statement added that legal proceedings have been initiated against the suspect.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the two bodies were brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities. The victims were identified as Mohammed Ayaz, 35, and Aqsa, 29.
Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar took notice of the accident and ordered police to reach the site. He also ordered the police to control traffic accidents.
“Every step should be taken for controlling the fatal accidents while the citizens should also follow traffic laws, avoid over-speeding and cooperate with the police for controlling accidents,” said Lanjar in a statement from his office.
Biker hit by water tanker
A young motorcyclist was killed when a water tanker hit him in New Nazimabad on Wednesday night, according to police.
Manghopir police SHO Imran Ahmed Khan said that 32-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim was riding his bike when the tanker hit and killed him at Kalma Chowk near New Nazimabad.
“The errant driver managed to escape from the scene, leaving behind the tanker which was seized by the police,” he told media. “The victim was a resident of Pakhtunabad, which was in the vicinity of the area.”
The body was moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.
An alarming increase was registered in road accidents in Karachi as nearly 500 people were killed while 4,879 were injured in 2024 due to a host of reasons ranging from reckless driving to construction activities, according to hospital data.
Rules restricting the movement of heavy vehicles were recently implemented in the metropolis amid rising traffic accidents involving dumpers and tankers and protests over the deaths of citizens.
Last month, the provincial government banned the entry of heavy vehicles into the city during the daytime, only allowing them to operate from 11pm to 6am.
The Sindh government has also made it mandatory for all heavy vehicles in Karachi to have a physical fitness certificate amid the rising number of traffic accidents involving dumper trucks.
Rights activists and members of civil society have said that the increasing number of fatal road accidents in the city and the poor state of traffic law enforcement are violations of human rights, which the state has failed to safeguard.