Nine killed, 36 injured as passenger coach overturns on Makran Coastal Highway

GWADAR: At least nine people were killed and 36 others injured on Saturday when a passenger coach overturned on the Makran Coastal Highway near Gwadar in Balochistan, police said, once again underscoring persistent safety concerns on the busy coastal route.

The accident occurred near the Hudd Goth area of Ormara when a Karachi-bound coach travelling from Jiwani lost control and overturned. According to Coastal Highway police, preliminary investigations suggested overspeeding as the primary cause of the crash. The coach belonged to a private transport company, Al Usman.

Superintendent of Police Aslam Bangulzai said the driver lost control of the vehicle due to excessive speed, adding that further investigations were under way to determine the exact circumstances of the accident and the role of the transport company.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene soon after the incident and shifted the bodies of the deceased and injured passengers to Ormara Tehsil Hospital. Hospital officials said several of the injured were in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could rise.

Police said details regarding the driver and the vehicle’s fitness were being collected as part of the investigation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He directed the relevant authorities to ensure strict enforcement of traffic laws and safety measures on national highways, along with enhanced monitoring of precautionary steps in view of public safety.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also expressed sorrow over the incident and directed the Gwadar deputy commissioner to ensure immediate and best possible medical treatment for the injured. He also ordered ambulance services to transport the bodies of the deceased to their native areas.

The chief minister sought a detailed report on the accident and ordered a formal inquiry to determine its causes, saying the provincial government stood with the affected families in this difficult time.

The Makran Coastal Highway has witnessed a series of serious traffic accidents in recent years, with experts frequently citing overspeeding, long-distance travel, patchy road conditions and poor vehicle maintenance as major contributing factors.