Nawabshah, 7 Aug, 2023 (GNP): A devastating train derailment in southern Pakistan has resulted in at least 30 fatalities and left 90 others injured. The tragic incident occurred on Sunday near Sarhari railway station in Nawabshah, Sindh province, when several carriages of the Hazara Express train derailed. According to the officials, the rescue operation had been completed by early evening.
Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique, expressed his deep concern over the accident, stating that at least 1,000 passengers were aboard the train at the time of the derailment. The accident occurred on a section of track where no previous faults had been reported.
Speaking from the accident site, senior police officer Abid Baloch said that the rescue operation had been completed. Numerous injured people had been taken to safety, and the last train carriage that had flipped over had been cleared. He claimed that women and children were among the injured and killed.
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The Hazara Express, en route from Karachi to Rawalpindi, encountered the derailment in Nawabshah, approximately 275km (170 miles) from Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. Images posted on local media revealed the gravity of the situation, with passengers trying to escape from the mangled carriages and some overturned.
At the scene of the accident, numerous vehicles and emergency services were present to aid in the rescue operation. Distraught passengers, including women and children, were carefully extricated from the damaged and overturned cars.
Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique, said the crash might have been caused by a mechanical problem or sabotage. He said an investigation is under way.
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On Pakistan’s outdated railway system, accidents and derailments frequently happen. Two trains crashed in June 2021 near Daharki in Sindh, resulting in at least 65 fatalities and 150 injuries.
In that accident, an express train derailed into the opposing track, and about a minute later, a second passenger train smashed into the debris.
In October 2019, a fire in the Tezgam express train left at least 75 passengers dead, while a 2005 crash between two trains at Ghotki claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
The Pakistani authorities are diligently investigating the cause of the derailment and will take necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.