Three killed as train derails near Nawabshah

Minister says Nawabshah train accident not terror activity

Several bogeys of the Karakoram Express derailed on Wednesday killing three people and injuring 11 others near Nawabshah’s Bandhi area, a private TV channel reported.

The engine and four compartments of Karachi-bound Karakoram Express derailed near Bandhi station, some 30 kilometers from Nawabshah.

The train was on its way from Faisalabad when the accident occurred. Locals in the area rushed to the site to rescue the victims. Two were reported killed while the 20 injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The engine and several coaches jumped off the track as a result of the incident. The incident led to closure of the track and suspension of the railway traffic. The restoration of the railway track may take three to four hours, railway authorities claimed.

According to Railway Sukkur DCO, the train was travelling from Lahore to Karachi and the situation was unclear as to what caused the incident.

Police personnel and rescue teams immediately reached the site of the incident. Rescue workers shifted the injured to People’s Medical College Hospital (PMCH).

Railways Minister Saad Rafiq said that the Nawabshah train accident was not a terror activity.

He also summoned a report about the accident and announced Rs 0.5 million for the families of the victims while Rs 0.1 million for the injured passengers.

“The accident was not a terror activity but just a technical mistake caused the accident,” he told reporters.