At least 30 killed and dozens injured after two trains collide in Pakistan

Ben Farmer
·2 min read
Rescuers and villagers work to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage - AP Video
Rescuers and villagers work to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage - AP Video

At least 33 people have died and 55 are injured after two trains collided in the latest crash on Pakistan's dilapidated rail network.

Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister, ordered an immediate investigation into the disaster in the north of Sindh province, as railway officials warned the death toll was likely to rise.

Heavy lifting machinery was on the way to the site with many passengers still trapped in the wreckage.

Carriages of the Millat express travelling from Karachi to Sargoda derailed in Ghotki district between Raiti and Dherki and were hit by the oncoming Sir Syed Express from Rawalpindi to Karachi.

Pictures from the scene showed badly smashed carriages which had been upended by the force of the collision.

Mr Khan said he was “shocked by the horrific train accident at Ghotki early this morning”

He said he was ordering a “comprehensive investigation into railway safety fault lines”.

Two express trains collided in southern Pakistan early on Monday - AP Video
Two express trains collided in southern Pakistan early on Monday - AP Video

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.

Several green Pakistan railway carriages on their side - AP Video
Several green Pakistan railway carriages on their side - AP Video

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.

Rail accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of miles of track and trains from former colonial power Britain.

But the network has seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.

At least 75 people died when a train caught fire while travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi in October 2019.

Two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Karachi in 2016 killing 21 people.