Karachi: At least 30 people were killed and 80 others injured on Sunday when several compartments of an express train derailed in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, in the latest rail disaster to hit the country.
The Hazara Express train travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed in Nawabshah district near the Sarhari Railway Station, 275 kilometres from the provincial capital Karachi.
Railways Minister Saad Rafiq told the media that 30 people died and 80 others were injured in the accident.
The minister said the top priority for Railway authorities was to complete the rescue and clearance operations. He said an inquiry would be conducted to find out the cause of the accident.
Commissioner Benazirabad division Abbas Baloch also said that 30 people died in the accident while some passengers are still trapped in a bogie.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who spoke to the media at People's Medical College Hospital in Benazirabad - the district home to Nawabshah, confirmed the death toll.
He added that the injured could be shifted to Karachi if needed and directed the local administration and health officials to expedite relief and rescue efforts.
He said around 1,000 passengers were travelling in the Hazara Express.
The driver of the Hazara Express told Geo News that the speed of the train was around 50 kilometres per hour when 10 out of 19 compartments went off the track one after the another.
"The maximum speed limit on the line is 105 KM per hour so we were well within the speed limit. I have no idea what happened, he said.
Pakistan Railways Sukkur Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Mohsin Siyal said 15 bodies were retrieved from the wreckage and the rescue work aided by the Pakistan Army was continuing.
Television channels showed the crash site with train compartments badly damaged near the station. They showed rescue workers and police trying to pull out people from the derailed compartments along with civilians who also joined the rescue work.
"Right now, the focus is on rescue work and recovering people from the derailed compartments, an official said.
He said that the cause of the accident is being investigated.
The state-run Radio Pakistan reported that the Pakistan Army and Rangers were involved in relief and rescue activities at the accident site.
The rescue operation has been started on the special directives of Army chief General Asim Munir, it added.
Additional troops have been called in to assist the rescue operation. The Army Aviation helicopters are also reaching the spot to rescue the injured people.
"The rescue operation of Pakistan Army will continue till the transfer of the last injured to the hospital and the rehabilitation of the people trapped at the accident site, it said.
A spokesperson of the Pakistan Railways in Karachi earlier said at least eight bogies derailed and the intensity of the accident increased due to delayed application of brakes.
The official said the affected bogies would be lifted off the track in a few hours using heavy machines and added that trains departing from Karachi might face delays.
Railways Minister Rafiq said the train, carrying over 1,000 passengers, was travelling at a reasonable speed, which initial investigations showed,
He said an emergency has been imposed in hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah.
Shaheed Benzirabad Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Muhammad Younis Chandio termed the incident a big accident. However, the official refrained from confirming the number of casualties.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose Pakistan Peoples' Party is in power in the province, directed the Sindh government to provide immediate treatment to the passengers injured in the train accident and also called on PPP workers to participate in relief and rescue activities.
Railways accidents occur frequently in Pakistan due to outdated track maintenance systems, signal issues, technical equipment and old engines. Pakistan's Railway system covers around 7,500 kilometres.
Sindh has seen the worst railway accidents with the worst train disaster taking place in 1990 near Sukkur when 307 people were killed.
Sunday's accident came just a day after three coaches of Allama Iqbal Express - travelling from Karachi to Sialkot - derailed, but no one suffered injuries.
In April, seven people were killed when a fire broke out in a bogie of the Karachi Express travelling from Karachi to Lahore near Tando Masti Khan in the Khairpur district of the southern Sindh province.
On June 7, 2021, 32 people were killed and 64 injured after two express trains collided in Sindh's Ghotki.
In February 2020, 19 people were killed when a train collided with a passenger bus near Sindh's Rohri station.
