ISLAMABAD, Mar 7 (NNN-APP) – A woman was killed and over 25 others were injured, when nine out of 18 compartments of a passenger train derailed in Sukkur district of Pakistan’s south Sindh province, in the wee hours of this morning, Inspector General of Pakistan Railways Police, Arif Nawaz, said today.
He said, the train was on its way to the eastern city of Lahore, from Sindh’s provincial capital of Karachi.
The derailed compartments fell into a ditch, due to over-speeding, according to initial investigation, Commissioner of Sukkur, Shafiq Mahesar, told media.
However, Divisional Transportation Officer of Sukkur Railways, Shahbaz Babar, who is also heading the rescue operation, said that, the cause of the accident will be determined after the investigation.
He said, rescue work had been conducted and completed by railway, private rescue teams and army personnel.
Babar added that two critically injured people have been shifted to hospital, while the remaining were given first-aid treatment at the station and were sent to Lahore with other passengers.
“Sukkur is the junction point between Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab provinces, and receives a heavy flow of traffic during peak hours. Thousands of passengers suffered delay due to the accident, and we have no choice but to move trains one-after-another,” Babar said.
He said, the traffic was flowing on a single line, and about 10 to 15 trains have been delayed due to the accident, adding that, the recovery work of the affected track will take place after all delayed trains reached their destinations, by passing by the single line adjustment in Sukkur.
Meanwhile, three out of nine derailed compartments have been removed from the ditch, he added.
The Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, told the media that, he formed a two-member team, to determine the cause of the accident and strict action will be taken against the train driver, if found guilty of negligence.– NNN-APP
