Deadly Pakistan train crash kill dozen, many injured

Investigators scoured the wreckage on Monday of a weekend train derailment that killed at least 34 people, the latest deadly crash to hit Pakistan’s antiquated railway network.

More than 1,000 passengers were aboard the Hazara Express when it came off the tracks in a flat, rural part of Sindh province near Nawabshah, around 250 kilometres (160 miles) by rail from the southern port city of Karachi.

It was winding its way north on a 33-hour journey to Havelian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when disaster struck near Sarhari around lunchtime.

“I was sitting in my shop… Suddenly, there was a huge bang,” said Azmat Ali, 25, who has a store near the crash site.

“We immediately thought an accident had taken place. We started running and when we arrived… we pulled out bodies and injured people from the wreckage.”

Muhammad Afzal Kolachi, a spokesman for Pakistan Railways, told AFP Monday that the death toll had risen to 34.

Hospitals in the area declared an emergency as they struggled to deal with dozens of passengers brought in with severe injuries.

Local residents, some who waded through waist-deep water in a canal that runs alongside the railway track to reach the crash site, were praised for their heroic response.

“Despite Sarhari being a backward area, the locals swiftly arrived at the scene to provide assistance,” said 28-year-old rescuer Zulfiqar Ali.

“Whoever heard the news — even women and children — came here. I saw local farmers reach the spot to take part in rescue efforts.”

Crashes and derailments occur frequently on Pakistan’s antiquated railway system, which has nearly 7,500 kilometres (4,600 miles) of track and carries more than 80 million passengers a year.

AFP