SHIKARPUR: At least seven people were killed and six others injured when a truck ran over them after crashing into a pole on the National Highway bypass near Shikarpur, police said on Saturday.
According to officials, the truck, which was loaded with vegetables, went out of control and crashed into an electric pole before running over people who were sleeping by the roadside. The victims were local farmers resting near the bypass.
Rescue teams and police shifted the bodies of the deceased and the injured to Civil Hospital in Shikarpur.
Police confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
The incident follows two separate accidents in Balochistan earlier this week which claimed at least 13 lives, including women and children, and left scores injured.
Local authorities reported that six people lost their lives and 17 others were seriously injured when a passenger coach rammed into an oncoming truck near Zero Point in Lasbela's Uthal.
Meanwhile, seven others died and 16 were hurt after a coach crashed in Hub-Winder.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
It may be noted that the Sindh government has recently implemented a revised system that includes substantial fines and demerit points for traffic offences throughout the province by amending the Twelfth Schedule as per Section 121-A of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.
Senior Minister and Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon said in a statement that strict action will be taken against violations, including overspeeding, signal breaking, wrong-way driving, overloading, and driving without a licence, The News reported.
The revised list increases fines according to vehicle type, including motorcycles, cars-jeeps, public service vehicles, and heavy transport. He said that overspeeding will carry a fine of Rs5,000 for motorcycles, Rs15,000 for cars, and Rs20,000 for heavy transport, along with eight demerit points.
Memon said driving without a licence will result in a fine of up to Rs50,000 and six demerit points. Reckless driving will carry a fine of Rs25,000 and eight points. Similarly, strict penalties will apply for one-wheeling, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, using tinted windows, driving in the wrong lane, and carrying passengers on the roof.