KARACHI: An express train barreled into another that had derailed in Ghotki district of Sindh before dawn Monday, killing at least 41 people, police said.
More than 100 were injured, and rescuers and villagers worked throughout the day to pull survivors and the dead from the crumpled cars.
JUST IN 🚨 At least 30 passengers killed, several injured in Ghotki train accident in Sindh, Pakistan pic.twitter.com/BbeRN71ejr
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 7, 2021
The incident took place at 3:30 am when Sargodha-bound Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterwards, said Ghotki Deputy Commissioner Usman Abdullah.
However, it was not immediately clear what caused the derailment and the subsequent collision.
“The Millat Express train left Daharki station at 03:28 am. Information was received at 03:43 am that the train had derailed at 03:38 am,” a Pakistan Railways statement said.
“Meanwhile, the Sir Syed Express train passed through Raiti at 03:38 am. As the coaches of the derailed train were infringing the down track, the driver tried to apply emergency brakes but the locomotive hit the infringing coaches at 03:38 am,” it added.
As a result of this accident, six coaches of Millat Express were derailed and five coaches overturned, while two coaches of the Sir Syed Express train were derailed and three overturned, the statement said.
Abdullah told Reuters it was hard to know how many people were still trapped in the train.
“There are about six to eight bogies [carriages] that are totally smashed […] there is a sleeper train, AC [air conditioned] class, as well as economy class, in which there were between 47 to 50 people on this side and around 50 to 60 people on the other train,” he said.
“Right now the challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage.”
Pakistan Railways chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani said in a television programme that the segment of the railway tracks where the crash took place was old and needed replacing. He, however, did not elaborate.
“The track has got issues on several points, the coaches are old, some as old as 40 years,” railway official Khalid Latif told a news station. “I’ve told high-ups several times ‘please do something about it’,” he said.
Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the Sir Syed Express, said that on seeing the derailed train, he tried his best to avoid the crash by braking but failed. Railway officials said Ahmed was slightly injured, and villagers pulled him from the train’s engine after the crash.
Ghotki Senior Superintendent of Police Umar Tufail said he expected the toll to shoot up as there were still mangled train compartments that rescuers had not been able to access despite the passage of hours.
The death toll rose after the recovery of 11 more bodies, Ghotki SSP Umer Tufail said.
He shared the list of 34 deceased passengers, including men, women and children, who have been identified. “I still fear the toll can still rise as we are tracing a few policemen of the train who are missing,” he said.
He said there were up to 25 people in one compartment yet to be accessed.
“Shocked by the horrific train accident at Ghotki early this morning leaving 30 passengers dead,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted.
Shocked by the horrific train accident at Ghotki early this morning leaving 30 passengers dead. Have asked Railway Minister to reach site & ensure medical assistance to injured & support for families of the dead. Ordering comprehensive investigation into railway safety faultlines
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 7, 2021
“[I] have asked Railway Minister to reach site [and] ensure medical assistance to injured [and] support for families of the dead,” he said, announcing a “comprehensive investigation” into safety fault lines in railways.
Minister for Railways Azam Swati told The Associated Press that so far 35 people had died. “I am on my way to the Ghotki district where the tragic train accident happened today,” he said.
Swati said engineers and experts were trying to determine what caused the collision. He said all aspects will be examined, including the possibility of sabotage.
“We are not sure about the cause of the train accident at this stage,” he said.
Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed grief over the lives lost. Speaking to the Sukkur Division Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar over the phone, he directed him to mobilise the district administration.
“Machinery should be arranged to rescue passengers that are still stuck,” Shah directed Mahesar. Arrangements should also be made at nearby hospitals to treat those that have been injured, he said.
The chief minister also directed the official to arrange temporary accommodation and food for the passengers. “An information system should be set up so that citizens can get accurate information,” he said.
According to railway officials, about 1,100 passengers were on board the two trains, and arrangements were being made to help the surviving passengers.
Some of the passengers were travelling by the Millat Express train to attend a wedding party but it was unclear whether they were among the dead or injured, reports said.
Television footage showed ambulances transporting injured passengers to hospitals. According to television stations, heavy machinery had not reached the scene about four hours after the pre-dawn crash.
Officials at Pakistan Railways said they had ordered an investigation and rescue work was still in progress.
Authorities said Pakistan Amry troops had also arrived at the scene of the accident to participate in the rescue work.
MAJOR TRAIN ACCIDENTS:
Train accidents are not infrequent, and successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and ageing tracks.
Data from Pakistan Railways shows there were 757 train accidents between 2012 and 2017 — a staggering average of about 125 incidents a year.
A train travelling between Karachi and Rawalpindi caught fire in 2019, killing 74. Before that, a train collision in Karachi had killed 21 passengers in 2016.
In February 2020, a train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at a railway crossing in the district of Rohri in Sindh, killing 19 people and injuring 28 others.
Five months later, in July, a passenger train crashed into a bus carrying Sikh pilgrims in Sheikhupura, killing 20 people, including seven women.
In 1990, a packed passenger ploughed into a standing freight train in Sukkur, killing 210 people in the worst rail disaster in the country’s history.
Between 2013 and 2019, 150 people died in such incidents, according to media reports. Casualty figures are often high because trains are packed with far greater numbers of passengers than they were designed for.
With additional input from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press
This is tragic and unfortunate incidence. May God give courage to bear the loss to those who lost their loved ones? 😞