Reuters AlertNet Lite - Fearful Pakistanis shun flyovers, endure jams

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Fearful Pakistanis shun flyovers, endure jams

03 Sep 2007 13:13:34 GMT
Source: Reuters

KARACHI, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Traffic jams virtually crippled the Pakistani city of Karachi on Monday as frightened motorists shunned flyovers two days after an elevated road collapsed, crushing several vehicles and killing seven people.

Mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal said the city's numerous flyovers and elevated roads, built to ease traffic chaos, were safe but the sight of engineers inspecting several overpasses compounded the fears of motorists, who stayed at street level.

The result was gridlock.

"This is awful. You get out at eight in the morning to go to your office but it takes 90 minutes to cover 8 km (5 miles)," said banker Mansoor Hussain.

"Think of the ambulances stuck in this mess and the students going for exams," he said.

Investigators are trying to determine why the flyover collapsed on Saturday, two months after it opened, tipping trucks and cars onto a road and crushing vehicles beneath a huge slab of concrete.

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Last updated:Mon Sep 3 13:14:57 2007