At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured Monday when a packed Pakistani inter-city train ploughed into another express that had derailed earlier, officials said.
An unknown number of people were still trapped in mangled wreckage near Daharki in northern Sindh province, a railway spokesman said, adding rescue workers had called urgently for specialist equipment so they could be extracted.
“The site is far and that’s why we are facing some trouble in the rescue work,” he said, adding at least six wagons were destroyed in the accident.
Mobile phone footage shown on television from the site revealed the wreckage, with several green Pakistan railway carriages lying on their side.
One clip showed medics giving an intravenous drip to a conscious passenger whose lower torso was trapped between crushed carriage benches.
The accident happened in a remote part of the province on a raised section of track surrounded by lush farmlands.
The Millat Express was heading from Karachi to Sargodha when it derailed before dawn, spilling carriages onto a track bringing the Sir Syed Express from Rawalpindi in the opposite direction.
The railway spokesman and senior Daharki police officer Umar Tufail said 30 people had been killed and dozens injured.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “shocked” by the accident and promised a full inquiry.
“Ordering comprehensive investigation into railway safety faultlines,” his official Twitter account said.
Lieutenant-General Akhtar Nawaz Satti, chairman of the national disaster management authority, told private TV channel ARY that Pakistan army and paramilitary rangers had already reached the site from nearby bases to help with the operation.
Source: AFP
In other news – Update: Hundreds of members gather outside Church in disbelief over Prophet TB Joshua’s death – Photos
The world woke up to the sad news of the death of a well-known ‘man of God’, Prophet TB Joshua who according to his social media platforms passed away moments after a church service.
From an Instagram post on his page, it is written: “PROPHET TB JOSHUA – JUNE 12th 1963 to JUNE 5th 2021. “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” – Amos 3:7. On Saturday 5th June 2021, Prophet TB Joshua spoke during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting: Learn More
