Two trains collided with 1,000 on board in Pakistan: at least 38 dead

Two fast trains collided in the south of Pakistan Monday morning and at least 38 passengers lost their livesauthorities said, as rescuers and residents worked to remove the injured and dead from the crash.

The Millat Express derailed and shortly after the Sir Syed Express collided with it, said Usman Abdula, deputy police commissioner of Ghotki district in Sindh province, where the collision occurred. At the moment, the cause of the accident was unknown.

Cries for help rang out in the middle of the night as survivors attempted to exit the cars and local residents came to help them.. At dawn up to 20 passengers were trapped among the wreckage of the Millat Express, and authorities were trying to obtain heavy machinery to remove them, said Umar Tufail, police chief of Ghotki

“At the moment, the challenge for us is to quickly rescue the passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage,” he said.

The death toll rose rapidly in the morning and hours later Abdullah said he had reached at least 38 deaths. There were dozens of injured.

Minister of Railways Azam Swati previously said The Associated Press on a trip to the place where drivers and experts were trying to determine what caused the crash and that all possibilities would be considered, including sabotage.

On both trains approximately 1,100 passengers were traveling, according to railway officials. A plan was being organized to help the survivors.

Some of the passengers traveling on the Millat Express were on their way to a wedding celebration, according to local media, but it was not clear whether they were among the victims.

Television footage showed ambulances transporting the injured to hospitals in the area. According to Pakistani networks, the heavy machinery did not arrive at the scene about four hours after the accident.

Authorities sent soldiers to the scene to help with the rescue efforts, according to a military statement.

The Pakistani Prime Minister expressed his regret at the tragedy. Imran Khan said on Twitter that he asked the Minister of Railways to oversee the rescue efforts and ordered an investigation.

Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the train that collided with the derailed train, told Pakistani television Geo News that When he saw the cars derailed, he did everything to stop and avoid the accident, but he could not. He did not explain how he had survived.

Authorities said they sent at least 50 injured to hospital, where several were in critical condition. Malik Aslam, a local resident, told Geo News TV that around 100 people were injured and at least 30 bodies were counted during the rescue and recovery efforts.

Mohammad Amin, one of the Millat Express passengers who suffered minor injuries, said PA from the hospital that before leaving the southern port city of Karachi, he and his brother they saw mechanics working on one of the cars.

It made them think there was something wrong, but they said it was okay. This wagon was the one that later derailed, Amine assured.

Habibur Rehman Gilani, chairman of Pakistan Railways, told Geo News that the section of track where the accident occurred was old and needed to be replaced. He did not go into details.

Railway accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the signaling system – which is poorly maintained – and aging tracks.

In 1990, a crowded passenger train crashed into a stationary freight train in southern Pakistan. It was the worst rail disaster in the country’s history, with 210 dead.

(With AP information)

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