A Train Accident Kills Dozens Of People, Pakistani Prime Minister Orders Investigation

Illustration of a train accident. (Wikimedia Commons/Diego Delso)

JAKARTA - At least 30 passengers died and dozens were injured in the collision of two express trains in South Pakistan, Monday, June 7 local time.

Cited from Reuters, The accident in the Ghotki district of southern Sindh province occurred when one of the train carriages derailed and fell on the opposite track, then was hit by a passing train at the same time.

"Carriages of one train, the Millat Express, derailed and fell on the opposite track, where they were hit by a Sir Syed Express train", a spokesman for Pakistan Railways said in a statement.

"At least 30 dead people have been transported to nearby hospitals, and rescue teams are still trying to access the train where around 25 people are believed to be trapped", senior district police official Umar Tufail told local television channel Geo News.

It is not clear what caused the train to derail. However, citing from Euronews, a total of about 1.100 passengers on the two trains were involved in the accident, according to Deputy Commissioner Ghotki Umar Abdullah.

"The challenge now is to immediately rescue and evacuate the passengers who are still trapped inside the train", Abdullah said.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was shocked by this fatal accident, while sympathizing and ordering a thorough investigation.

"Shocked by the horrific train crash in Ghotki this morning that left 30 passengers dead", Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote on Twitter, adding he ordered a comprehensive investigation into the rail safety issue.