Seven-year-old boy killed after being hit by water tanker in Karachi's Manghopir
Jan 05, 2026
Karachi [Pakistan], January 6 : A seven-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a water tanker in Karachi's Manghopir area, police and rescue officials said, marking yet another fatal incident involving a heavy vehicle, Dawn reported.
Senior Superintendent of Police (West) Tariq Illahi Mastoi said on Monday tgat the tanker driver was speeding along a street in Manghopir when the vehicle struck the child. The boy suffered critical injuries and died at the scene, he added.
Police arrested the driver and seized the tanker, according to an official police statement. The child's body was later taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to complete medicolegal procedures, as per Dawn.
The incident comes days after another deadly crash in the city. Last week, a 20-year-old female motorcyclist was killed when a trailer hit her on the main Mehran Highway near MN Textile in Landhi. Quaidabad Station House Officer Mohammad Ali Shah told Dawn that the driver of a 10-wheeler was involved in the collision.
According to official figures, 803 people lost their lives in road accidents across the city in 2025. However, the Karachi traffic police said conditions began to improve during the latter half of the year, Dawn reported.
In its annual road accident report, the department recorded a decline in both deaths and injuries, attributing the improvement to stricter enforcement measures, data-driven interventions, and enhanced coordination with transport stakeholders. The report noted that 477 fatalities were recorded during the first six months of the year, compared to 326 deaths in the latter half, as per Dawn.
Meanwhile, despite police claims of an overall decline in crime, street criminals continued to pose a serious threat to residents of Karachi in 2025, with more than 64,000 street crime cases recorded and over 70 people killed in such incidents, Dawn reported.
Official data based on registered FIRs show that a total of 64,323 incidents of street crime, including robbery, mobile phone snatching, and vehicle snatching or theft, were reported during 2025.
However, the actual number is believed to be significantly higher, as many victims either do not approach police stations or are discouraged from registering cases, according to Dawn.
