Uthal Crash Toll Rises to 15, Four Critical
The death toll from a collision between a passenger coach and a minibus near Uthal has risen to 15, including five women, officials said on Saturday. The Uthal crash toll rose after eight injured passengers later died in hospital, with four more still in critical condition.
More than 22 people were injured in the crash at Zero Point near Uthal on Friday. Seven passengers died on the spot, while eight others later died at hospital, authorities said.
The update changes the picture first reported on Friday, when 12 people were reported dead and around 22 injured. Twelve people were killed and 22 injured in the head-on crash near Zero Point in Uthal, Balochistan, in that first report.
Why the Uthal crash toll rose
The toll rose because passengers who were taken to hospital in serious condition later died from their injuries. The first report counted seven deaths at the scene and five deaths in hospital. The updated count keeps the seven deaths at the scene and raises the hospital deaths from five to eight.
Four of the injured remain in critical condition, so the toll could rise further. The first report had listed seven injured passengers as serious. Officials have not said whether the change from seven serious to four critical reflects deaths, improved conditions, or a fresh medical assessment.
Most of the casualties were among passengers travelling in the minibus, according to the first report. That detail has not changed in the update.
What happened on Friday
A passenger coach travelling from Gwadar to Karachi collided head-on with a minibus heading from Bela to Karachi. The crash happened near Zero Point in Uthal on the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Balochistan on Friday.
Police said the coach hit the minibus near Bela. In-charge of the Edhi Centre in Bela, Abdul Hakeem Lasi, said around 22 injured passengers were shifted to hospital by Edhi workers before being taken to Karachi for treatment.
The route is a busy link between Balochistan’s coast and Karachi. Coaches and minibuses carry passengers along it every day, and the crash has renewed questions about safety on that highway.
Residents raise concerns over the route
The deadly wreck has prompted widespread criticism from residents. They raised serious concerns over alleged negligence by local police and highway authorities responsible for patrolling the route.
Those concerns are attributed to residents, not to an official finding. No official inquiry report on the cause of the crash was available in the reports reviewed on Saturday.
Road crashes on the Quetta-Karachi Highway are not rare, and residents often blame weak enforcement and poor patrolling after serious wrecks. Officials have not announced any specific safety measures for the Uthal stretch in response to this crash.
A wider road-safety picture
The Uthal crash came two days after another deadly road crash in Punjab. Ten people were killed and 44 injured when a passenger bus overturned after hitting a road divider in Rojhan tehsil of Rajanpur district on Wednesday, according to Rescue 1122 figures cited in the first Uthal report.
Other recent road crashes have also claimed young lives. Four children died as a van plunged into a ravine in Neelum Valley, while road closures elsewhere have stranded travellers. A landslide blocked the Baltistan Road near Shangus in Skardu’s Roundu Valley, leaving thousands of passengers on both sides.
Taken together, these incidents show that road travel in Pakistan still carries serious risks, from driver behaviour to road design and enforcement.
What happens next
Hospitals will continue to treat the four passengers in critical condition, and officials will update the toll if their condition changes. Police have not announced a cause for the head-on collision.
For families, the next steps are funerals and hospital care. For authorities, the questions concern patrolling, enforcement, and safety on a busy highway.
The toll of 15 makes the Uthal crash one of the deadliest road crashes reported in Balochistan this month. Whether it leads to any change on that stretch of road will depend on what officials do next, not only on what residents have said.
What is the latest Uthal crash toll?
Fifteen people have died, including five women. Seven died on the spot and eight later died in hospital.
How many people were injured?
More than 22 people were injured, and four remain in critical condition.
Where did the crash happen?
The crash happened at Zero Point near Uthal on the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Balochistan, when a coach from Gwadar to Karachi collided with a minibus from Bela to Karachi.
