At least 30 people were killed and over 50 injured when at least 10 coaches of the Hazara Express derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Sindh’s Nawabshah on Sunday, Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said.

Talking to media in Nawabshah, the chief minister said that nine coaches of the train have been cleared. He assured the provision of medical facilities to the injured.

The train departed from Karachi for an over a 24-hour journey to Havelian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Footage showed passengers helping themselves get out of the train.

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said he received reports that 28 people had died. The train was travelling at 45 kilometres per hour, said the minister as he ruled out the possibility of overspeeding.

The Green Line has been stopped at the railway station near Nawabshah as railway traffic has been suspended on the Main Line-1, he said, adding that the railway department is working to change the schedule of other trains for which a new schedule will be announced soon.

Rafiq did not rule out sabotage as a cause, however, other railway officials indicated that the derailment was caused by mechanical failure.

The minister said that the track at the site of the accident is “completely fit and without any engineering restrictions”.

“It was said that there is an axle problem [a rod or spindle passing through the centre of a wheel] in the train,” Divisional Railway Superintendent Mehmoodur Rehman told Aaj News. “We are investigating the matter.”

There were 950 passengers in the economy class of the derailed train.

The incident comes two days after three coaches of a Sialkot-bound train derailed in Patidan near Nawabshah. The incident had occurred at night time, making it difficult to carry out rescue operations.

Emergency Information Centre at Sukkur Railway Station

An emergency information centre was established at the Sukkur Railway Station on the direction of the divisional superintendent.

The centre will provide information regarding the accident and the current situation. Those wishing to inquire about the accident can contact on 0715617676 and 0719311166.

Relief trains on the way

Rehman said that they were trying to restore the track, adding that relief trains have been dispatched from Rohri and Kotri, which will take at least three hours to reach the accident site. It would take three hours for a train to reach Sarhari from Nawabshah while four hours from Rohri.

There were reports that the situation was very bad as many passengers were critically injured and many were still stuck in the train, the Edhi centre in Nawabshah spokesperson told Aaj News.

At least 10 ambulances were sent to Sahari, the district commissioner said. Edhi ambulances from Nawabshah, Sarhari, Shahdadkot, and Sanghar reached the site of the accident, reported our correspondent.

They have started rescue operations. Initially, seven ambulances have started providing relief services.

Nawabshah has a 1200-bed hospital, which will be able to give emergency services, where critical patients would be referred. While Sanghar will have patients who need first aid facilities.

It would take 40 to 45 minutes for an ambulance to reach Sarhari from Nawabshah, said our correspondent.

People working on nearby agricultural lands were the first to rescue the passengers. They rescued the people and informed the railway officials.

According to estimates, around 2,000 to 2,500 passengers travel in such trains.

When asked whether ambulances have reached there, Aaj News correspondent said that it must be 35m to 40km of distance by road to the site. He added that it might take 15 to 20 minutes to reach the track and it might take 90 minutes to return.

An emergency has been declared in hospitals in Nawabshah, Sanghar, and Shahdkot. These are the nearest points to the site.

A Nawabshah Railway Station spokesperson said that the train was 20 minutes late to reach its destination.

Federal Railways and Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, who was addressing a press conference in Lahore, said he would speak about the incident after getting a complete report.

The site of the accident was far from the city, making it difficult for the rescue teams to reach there. Officials said heavy machinery has been dispatched to the site but it would take three to four hours to clear the track.

Ijaz Shah, a provincial railway official, told AFP that several passengers were killed and several others injured in the accident, and that a relief train has been dispatched to the site.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took notice of the Hazara train accident and ordered the concerned staff to reach the site of the accident.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army and rangers have joined the relief and rescue activities in Nawabshah.

Additional troops have been called in from Hyderabad and Sakrand. Army aviation helicopters were also reaching the spot to rescue the injured people.

The General Officer Commanding Hyderabad 18 Division arrived at the scene where the Pak army and Rangers are participating in the relief efforts.

Officials were also delivering food items at the accident site.

More to follow…