Foreign News

Pakistan Passenger Train Derails killing 30

Written by Bunmi Abdulraheem

30 people have been killed and 100 injured when a train derailed in southern Pakistan, a police spokesman has confirmed.

Several carriages of the Hazara Express overturned near Sahara railway station in Nawabshah, about 275km (171 miles) from the largest city Karachi.

Wounded passengers were moved to nearby hospitals. Rescue teams are trying to free people from the twisted wreckage.

Accidents on Pakistan’s antiquated railway system are not uncommon.

Railway Minister Saad Rafiq said initial investigations showed the train was travelling at normal speed and they were trying to establish what led to the derailment.

A railways spokesperson in Karachi said at least eight carriages went off the track.

Some people were still trapped inside a train carriage

“We don’t know what happened, we were just sitting inside,” said one dazed woman who was rescued from a carriage, while others were being taken away by ambulance.

BBC