MITHI: At least five devotees were killed and 15 others injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with a speeding dumper near Peluro Bus Stop on Thar Coal Road on Thursday.

According to initial reports, the victims belonged to the Bheel community and were residents of Bheel Colony near Naukot town. They were travelling back to their village after visiting a shrine near Diplo when their bus collided with the dumper.

The five victims, identified as Sajan Bheel, Haimraj Bheel, Lekhraj Bheel, Soomar Bheel and Dodo Bheel, died on the spot due to the severity of the crash.

Rescue teams shifted the bodies and injured passengers to Civil Hospital Mithi for medical treatment. Hospital sources said that the condition of more than seven injured people was critical.

The accident caused grief among residents of the area, while local activists expressed concern over the increasing number of fatal road accidents on the Thar Coal Road.

Soon after the incident, Thari activists took to social media to express their anger and demanded action from the authorities. They alleged that adequate road safety measures had not been implemented despite repeated accidents on the route.

The activists also raised concerns over the movement of heavy dumpers on the road, alleging that drivers of such vehicles often drive at high speeds, posing serious risks to passenger vehicles and local residents.

They called upon the district administration and relevant authorities to take immediate measures to prevent further loss of life, including effective traffic monitoring, enforcement of speed limits and improved safety arrangements on the road.

Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision and determine the cause of the accident.