At least 15 killed as train derails near Nawabshah

At least 15 people were killed while 40 others were injured after several bogies of the Hazara Express derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Nawabshah on Sunday, Radio Pakistan reported.

Meanwhile, Sanghar District Health Officer Faiz Mohammad Mari, who was at the site of the accident, put the toll at 20.

“Twenty bodies and 50 injured have been taken to Government Hospital, Sarhari,” he told Dawn.com.

Separately, Sanghar Deputy Commissioner Ishaq Ahmed Gaad, who also reached the site, said injured people were also being taken to hospitals in Shahdadpur and Nawabshah.

DawnNewsTV reported that the train was headed to Rawalpindi from Karachi. Rescue teams and police officials were dispatched to the site of the incident.

Footage aired on TV showed a large number of passengers gathered near the derailed bogies, some of which were laying on their sides.

The incident comes a day after the Allama Iqbal Express escaped a major disaster when two of its bogies derailed near Padidan railway station in the wee hours of Saturday, resulting in the suspension of traffic on the affected railway track. However, no casualty was reported in the incident, said rescue officials.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique said that authorities had been alerted about today’s incident. He said that reports suggested that 15 people had died and several were injured.

Rafique said that the train was travelling at a reasonable speed, which initial investigations showed. He said that officials had reached the scene and an emergency was imposed in hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah.

“It was either a mechanical fault or it was developed,” he said on the possible causes.

Pakistan Railways Sukkur Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Mohsin Siyal said that an unknown number of bogies had derailed. The official did not confirm any casualties.

“I am on my way to the site of accident,” Siyal told Dawn.com over the phone. He said that the incident occurred at the outer signal of the Sarhari Railway Station.

“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 conforming the number of casualties.

“Rescue teams are needed to launch relief and rescue operations,” he said. The official said his team and the commissioner were headed to the site of the incident.

Later, Nawabshah Commissioner Abbas Baloch, who was at the site of the accident, told Dawn.com that rescue personnel were shifting the injured to hospitals and a Pakistan Railways train was on its way to begin relief and track clearance operations.

Both up and down tracks were affected in the accident, he added.

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.

State-run Pakistan Television reported that the Pakistan Army and Rangers launched immediate relief activities at the accident site, with additional troops called in from Hyderabad and Skarund.

It added that the army chief issued special instructions for relief activities. Rescue teams of Pakistan Army and Rangers started reaching the accident site. It further said that army aviation helicopters were also sent for the rescue effort and personnel were also reaching the site with food items.

“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.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took notice of the incident and directed the authorities concerned to launch an investigation.

He 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.

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.