At least 18 died as flood-hit people’s bus caught fire near Nooriabad
At least 18 people were died and 20 others were injured, when a bus carrying flood affectees of Khairpur Nathan Shah caught fire on the M9 motorway near Jamshoro’s Nooriabad Town, officials confirmed.
Jamshoro police confirmed that 18 bodies have been recovered from the bus, including 15 children aged 4 to 14 years and 2 women.
Police said that the fire in the bus ignited due to malfunction in the air-conditioning system, all the deceased belonged to the same Mughiri family who were going from Karachi to village Rais Ali Akbar Mughiri of Khairpur Nathan Shah in Koch.
“All these people were flood victims and were returning to their villages from Karachi,” police said.
Chief of Mughiri tribe and village Rais Zafar Mughiri reached Nooriabad police station and received the dead bodies from the police.
Raees Zafar Mughiri said that, “all the men jumped from the coach when the fire broke out, but the children and women could not jump and burnt to death.”
Earlier last night, DIG Hyderabad’s office confirmed the incident and said that a passenger bus going from Karachi to Khairpur Nathan Shah caught fire near Bedal Petrol Pump on the National Highway.
He confirmed that all the deceased belonged to the same family and the bodies have been shifted to Jamshoro Hospital.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the fire incident and directed the DC and SP Jamshoro to help the victims.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life in the incident, Sindh CM directed the administration to provide all kinds of cooperation to the families of the victims and submit an investigation report of the incident.
