In 2023, Balochistan was the scene of nearly a thousand road accidents. These incidents resulted in the tragic loss of hundreds of lives, injuries to thousands, and the devastation of numerous families. The narrative of Balochistan’s perilous highways remains a poignant issue that persists as time passes.
Data collected by The Balochistan Post reveals the extent of road accidents in the province for the year 2023. A total of 969 accidents were officially reported. However, this figure is likely an underestimation, as many incidents go unreported. The actual number could potentially reach into the thousands. These accidents resulted in the deaths of 794 individuals, injuries to 2,078 people, and impacted 2,913 families.
These statistics, while alarming, only represent a portion of the overall issue, akin to the tip of an iceberg. The accidents affected a wide range of individuals, whether they were pedestrians, car drivers, or cargo truck operators. Cars were involved in the majority of these incidents, with 360 reported accidents, followed by bikes at 186, trucks at 136, and buses at 101.
Accidents were widespread throughout Balochistan, but the Quetta-Karachi highway, aptly dubbed the “killer highway,” is notorious for its high accident rate. Several factors contribute to the danger of this highway, including its narrow width, lack of divided lanes despite ongoing campaigns for improvement, absence of medical centers for several hundred kilometers, and instances of driver negligence.
The majority of the accidents occurred on various sections of the Quetta-Karachi highway, particularly the stretch connecting Quetta to Khuzdar. Mastung reported 139 accidents, closely followed by Khuzdar with 120, Quetta with 102, and Kalat with 96. Gwadar also recorded a significant number of accidents, with a total of 105 incidents in 2023.
