At least eight people, including four children, were killed and five others seriously injured when a goods-laden truck ran over a group of people sleeping by the roadside in Shikarpur.

According to reports, the truck — carrying a load of potatoes and onions — was speeding when it collided with an electricity pole and lost control, veering off the road and ploughing into the sleeping individuals.

Police officials and a large contingent of law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, which happened within the limits of the New Faujdari police station.

According to sources, the truck was travelling to Sukkur from Quetta.

Rescue personnel shifted the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital, where the condition of several injured victims was reported to be critical.

The police have taken the truck involved in the accident into custody and have launched an investigation into the incident.