Heavy rains have affected a segment of the national highway (N-50) between Zhob and Dhana Sar in Balochistan. Floods in Dhana Sar Nullah have caused damage to the protective wall. Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan, faces severe traffic safety issues, partly due to the lack of double-lane highways compared to other provinces, which leads to numerous accidents and fatalities.
A spokesperson for the National Highway reported that field staff, contractors, and heavy machinery are actively involved in restoring this section of the highway for traffic. The spokesperson is confident that the restoration work will be completed within twenty-four hours. In the meantime, the local administration has requested that traffic be diverted to the Qila Saifullah-Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan Highway.
Recently, In 2021, a report highlighted that 8,000 people lost their lives in highway accidents in Balochistan within one year, a stark contrast to the 2,238 fatalities from terrorism over the past decade.
The Quetta-Karachi Highway, an essential 813 km road, is notorious for accidents and is nicknamed “Killer Road,” with more than 800 accidents occurring annually on this single-lane highway. Tragic incidents include a 2019 accident where nine family members died when a van collided with a truck and another where 27 people perished when a bus caught fire in Lasbela. Capt. Tariq Zehri, a former Commissioner Makran, also lost his life in an accident involving an oil tanker.
A recent report from the Balochistan Medical Emergency Response Centre highlighted that there have been 46,000 incidents over the last five years, resulting in 64,000 injuries. The N25 highway is particularly dangerous due to high accident rates caused by speeding, driver errors, and its single-lane structure.