Train Derails In Pakistan's Sindh, 15 Killed, Nearly 50 Injured

Karachi: At least 15 people were killed and nearly 50 others injured after several bogies of a Rawalpindi-bound train derailed in Nawabshah city in Pakistan's Sindh province on Sunday, police said. The Hazara Express train en route from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Nawabshah district.

Deputy Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Mahmood Rehman confirmed that at least 15 bodies were recovered from the damaged bogies while around 50 injured people were being taken to hospitals.

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," Rehman said, adding that the cause of the accident is being investigated.

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Railways in Karachi said at least eight bogies derailed and the intensity of the accident increased due to delayed application of brakes.

The affected bogies will be lifted off the track in a few hours using machines, he said, adding that trains departing from Karachi might face delays.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique said the reports suggested that 15 people had died and several were injured.

The train was travelling at a reasonable speed, which initial investigations showed, he said, adding that an emergency was imposed in hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah.

"It was either a mechanical fault or it was developed," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Pakistan Railways Sukkur Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Mohsin Siyal said that an unknown number of bogies had derailed.

"Some people are reporting that five bogies had derailed, some are saying eight have derailed and some are saying 10 have derailed," he said.

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, the report said.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed grief over the lives lost in the incident.

In a statement, he directed the Nawabshah deputy commissioner to provide the injured with immediate medical assistance.

Last 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.