10-year-old boy killed after water tanker rams motorcycle in Karachi

KARACHI: A 10-year-old boy was killed and a motorcyclist injured after a speeding water tanker hit their motorcycle in Karachi’s Orangi Town area.

According to police, the tanker ran over the motorcycle near Orangi Town No 1, killing the child on the spot and injuring the rider.

Following the sources, the driver fled the scene, while enraged residents pelted the tanker with stones, smashing its windows before setting it on fire.

A heavy contingent of police reached the site and dispersed the protesters, while firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze.

Police said that the driver responsible for the accident escaped, while the vehicle has been taken into custody and shifted to the police station.

The body of the deceased boy, identified as Javed, was moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.

Earlier in April, at least nine dumpers and water tankers were set on fire following a suspected road accident in North Karachi, prompting the police to register five cases under terrorism and other serious charges.

The vehicles were torched near Powerhouse Chowrangi and 4K Chowrangi after an alleged collision involving a high-speed dumper and a motorcyclist. Though no deaths were reported, enraged locals reportedly attacked and burned the trucks. Police later used cranes to remove the charred remains and restore traffic flow.

The damaged vehicles were moved to local police stations, while cases were lodged in the Sir Syed, Bilal Colony, New Karachi, and Khawaja Ajmer Nagri police stations under charges of rioting, arson, and terrorism.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab termed the dumper incidents “tragic” but said torching vehicles was no solution. “We are here to improve Karachi. No one is above the law,” he said during a talk show.

He stressed the need for responsible behaviour from both truck drivers and motorcyclists, adding that lawlessness would only deepen Karachi’s problems. “We need policy solutions, not provocation,” he said, pointing out the dangers of stoking ethnic tensions similar to those after the Bushra Zaidi incident.

Earlier in February, a child was killed after being run over by a water tanker in Buffer Zone area of Karachi, triggering public outrage as residents pelted the vehicle with stones and shattered its windows. 

The owner of the tanker involved in the accident claimed that another vehicle was responsible for the fatal collision, yet his tankers were targeted.