The Hazara Express train en route from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Nawabshah district.
Death toll from southern Pakistan train derailment rises to 30, with 60 injured, officials sayThe Hazara Express train en route from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Nawabshah district.
Deputy Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Mahmood Rehman confirmed that at least 15 bodies were recovered from the damaged bogies while around 50 injured people were being taken to hospitals.
Television channels showed the crash site with train compartments badly damaged near the station. They showed rescue workers and police trying to pull out people from the derailed compartments along with civilians who also joined the rescue work.
Right now, the focus is on rescue work and recovering people from the derailed compartments, Rehman said, adding that the cause of the accident is being investigated.
A spokesperson of the Pakistan Railways in Karachi said at least eight bogies derailed and the intensity of the accident increased due to delayed application of brakes.
The affected bogies will be lifted off the track in a few hours using machines, he said, adding that trains departing from Karachi might face delays.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique said the reports suggested that 15 people had died and several were injured.
The train was travelling at a reasonable speed, which initial investigations showed, he said, adding that an emergency was imposed in hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah.
It was either a mechanical fault or it was developed, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
Pakistan Railways Sukkur Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Mohsin Siyal said that an unknown number of bogies had derailed.