Agencies
Lahore, July 11:
As many as 14 passengers were killed and 79 others injured on Thursday (July 11) when an express train rammed into a stationary freight train in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
According to PTI, Quetta bound Akbar Express collided with the stationary freight train at the Walhar Railway Station in Sadiqabad Tehsil of the province.
All passengers onboard, who were headed to Quetta, have been removed from the train and track clearance operations were underway, deputy commissioner Rahim Yar Khan, Jamil Ahmed Jamil said.
The heavy machinery was being used to rescue passengers who were stuck in the train, adding that they were being provided with food and water.
Authorities said the Pakistan Army was also taking part in the rescue efforts. The engine of the Akbar Express was wholly destroyed in the accident while three compartments were also damaged.
The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals of Sadiqabad and Rahim Yar Khan for treatment where an emergency has been declared.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and president Arif Alvi have expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the train accident.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Khan said he has asked the railways minister to take emergency steps to counter decades of neglect of railway infrastructure and ensure safety standards.
Railways minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has ordered an investigation into the accident.
Rasheed Ahmed also said that the accident appeared to have occurred due to human negligence and further reports on this regard is waited.
