Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that an act of sabotage could be among the reasons for the derailment of multiple coaches of Hazara Express which killed more than a dozen people.

“There could be two possible reasons for the accident. Either it is a mechanical fault in the line or a fault was developed. It could be an act of sabotage or mechanical fault,” he told reporters at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday.

But he said that the federal government inspector of railways would decide what the reason for the accident was.

At least 15 were killed and over 40 injured when at least ten coaches of the Hazara Express derailed near the Sarhari Railway Station in Sindh’s Nawabshah on Sunday.

Footage showed passengers helping themselves to get out of the train.

The train departed from Karachi and for an over a 24-hour journey to Havelian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to estimates, around 2,000 to 2,500 passengers travel in such trains.

Rafique said that ambulances are carrying the train passengers to the hospitals, while railways, officials and the police have also reached the site of the accident.

“I have spoken to the chief minister of Sindh. He along with the secretary of railways is monitoring the situation,” the minister stated.

He went on to add that an emergency has been declared in hospitals across Nawabshah and Sukkur.

“I would like to share that I had a bad feeling when I woke up after Fajar. I was praying for these three days to pass without accident, but this bad news has come,” he added.