At least 30 killed, 90 injured after train derails in southern Pakistan
At least 30 people were killed and another 90 were injured when a passenger train derailed in southern Pakistan Sunday — two months after the tragic railway accident that left 40 dead.
The Hazara Express train was heading from Karachi to Rawalpindi when 10 of its cars derailed near the Sarhari railway station off Nawabshah, senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho said.
Rescue operations were completed by Sunday evening, when officials said at least 30 people had died and another 90 had been hurt.
Women and children were among the dead and injured, senior police officer Abid Baloch said.
Local TV stations showed rescue teams pulling women, children and elderly passengers out of wrecked train cars.
Photos showed the derailed cars toppled over near the tracks.
Rescue crews rushed dozens of injured passengers to the nearby Peoples Hospital in Nawabshah, according to Lakho.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif prayed for the victims during a political gathering in Punjab.
“We all pray, may Allah grant a place in heaven to those who passed away and I wish quick recovery for the injured,” he said.
Train traffic has been suspended on the main railway line as repair trains were dispatched to the scene, another senior railway officer, Mohsin Sayal, said.
Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafiq said the crash could be due to a mechanical fault or the result of sabotage. He said an investigation was underway.
It was unclear how many people in total were aboard the train at the time of the incident., or what caused the derailment.
The disaster came two months after a Millat Express train derailed — and was then hit by a Sir Syed Express train near Daharki, killing at least 40 people and injuring another 100.
At least 1,200 passengers were aboard the Millat Express, which was headed from Karachi to Sargodha when it derailed on June 5.
Train crashes are fairly common in Pakistan, where train systems are poorly maintained and equipped with antiquated communications and signal systems.
With Post wires
