Hazara Motorway: dumper collision leaves five dead

Gilgit: At least five people were killed when a passenger car travelling from Gilgit to Islamabad collided with a speeding dumper on the Hazara Motorway near Havelian on Monday night.

According to Havelian police , the dumper rammed into the car at high speed, leaving all five passengers dead on the spot. Rescue teams arrived shortly after the incident and shifted the bodies to a nearby hospital.

An official from POF Havelian Cantt police station said the deceased were residents of Gilgit-Baltistan; efforts are under way to confirm their identities. Additional Moharir Touqeer said the deceased include two women and three men. Locals believe the accident took place owing to brake failure of the dumper.

Police have taken the dumper driver into custody and launched an investigation.

Last week, a speeding dumper ran over eight schoolchildren in Abbottabad on Friday, killing three and critically injuring five. The victims, aged 5 to 15, were crossing the road near the FBR office when the vehicle struck them. Rescue 1122 shifted the children to DHQ Hospital, where families later took the bodies home to Banda Phagwaran. The deceased have been identified as Mureed Abbas, Raza Saleem, Mesum Abbas, Kubra Zahra and Rida Baig.

Karachi dumper owners’ protest after fatal accident cripples traffic

The dumper driver fled, prompting protests that blocked the Karakoram Highway until police promised his arrest. Authorities linked the tragedy to reckless driving and poor regulation of heavy vehicles. Pakistan has recorded nearly 500 deaths from dumper and tanker accidents in 2024 alone.