Tragedy Strikes: Fatal Road Accidents Highlight Pakistan's Infrastructure Woes

A passenger coach accident in Jacobabad killed five and injured 15, spotlighting Pakistan's poor road infrastructure. Prior incidents, including a wedding bus crash, underscore the urgency. According to reports, inadequate emergency care and lack of universal rehabilitative services further compound the crisis.

On Saturday, a tragic accident claimed five lives and left 15 others injured when a passenger coach veered off course and plunged into a ditch in the Thull area of Jacobabad, as reported by ARY News. The vehicle was en route from Balochistan to Punjab.

The injured were swiftly transported to a nearby taluka hospital in Thull for urgent medical care, while police officials confirmed that the deceased were also shifted to the hospital for further formalities.

This is not an isolated incident in the region—just this May, a wedding bus overturn in Jacobabad resulted in at least one fatality and over 30 injuries after a tyre burst caused the vehicle to plunge into a ravine, reported ARY News.

Such accidents are part of a troubling trend in Pakistan. Earlier this week, road mishaps in Balochistan's Sibi, Noshki, and Washuk districts left 12 dead and 19 injured.

Pakistan's transport sector is severely lacking, according to a World Bank report. The country suffers from a low density of paved roads and substandard railroads and airports when compared to its peers.

The World Health Organisation's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 highlights Pakistan's shortcomings in emergency and rehabilitative care. The absence of national laws offering universal access to emergency and psychological services for road crash victims underscores the existing crisis. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)