Islamabad, Aug 10 : A tragic road accident involving a dumper lorry occurred early Sunday on Karachi's Rashid Minhas Road near Lucky One Mall, resulting in the deaths of two siblings and injuries to their father. The incident sparked protests and mob violence, causing major disruption on several key city roads, according to officials.

Karachi has witnessed a recent surge in road accidents, particularly those involving heavy-duty vehicles such as dumpers and water tankers. Hospital statistics reveal that nearly 500 fatalities and 4,879 injuries have been recorded in such incidents during 2024.

Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi, the Central Senior Superintendent of Police, Karachi, stated that at approximately 3:15am, a dumper struck a motorcycle carrying a family, killing 22-year-old Mahnoor and her 14-year-old brother Ahmed Raza. Their 48-year-old father, Shakir, was injured in the crash.

In the aftermath of the incident, transport workers launched a protest, blocking Rashid Minhas Road and the Superhighway near Sohrab Goth, which led to severe traffic congestion.

Roads leading to and from Rashid Minhas Road, from Sohrab Goth to Gulshan-i-Iqbal, were closed. Likewise, traffic at Al-Asif Square, in both directions towards the city and towards Hyderabad, came to a standstill.

'A mob gathered and set fire to a total of seven dumpers on both sides of the road within the limits of Yusuf Plaza and Federal B Area police stations,' Pakistani media outlet 'Dawn' quoted SSP Siddiqi as saying.

'The police reached the spot to apprehend the driver and took the dumper in custody,' he added.

According to Siddiqi, police cordoned off the area, set up diversions, and called in fire brigade units to extinguish the blaze.

The police have reportedly arrested 14 suspects on charges of torching the dumpers, Siddiqui mentioned.

Further, it was reported by local media outlets that more arrests were being made with the aid of videos and technical devices.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told local media outlets that the deceased siblings were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Their father survived with injuries. She mentioned that the female victim was soon to be married, according to the deceased's relatives.

Dr Syed also reported that two lorry drivers were brought in by police with severe injuries after being assaulted by the mob. One was the allegedly responsible driver, who is in critical but stable condition. Another driver, whose dumper was also set on fire, suffered serious head injuries.

Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, confirmed that seven dumpers were set ablaze near Lucky One Mall in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. He said fire brigade teams managed to control the fire, though the vehicles were badly damaged in the arson attacks.

A high-speed trailer lorry crashed in Karachi's Defence Housing Authority (DHA), resulting in the injuries of two others earlier this month.

In a separate incident in July, a 59-year-old milk vendor was killed when a dumper ran over his motorcycle in Karachi's Saudabad area.

/IANS