Hazara Express mishap: Pakistan Army, Rangers begin relief, rescue operation

Pakistan Army and Rangers have started relief and rescue activities in Nawabshah where bogies of Hazara Express were derailed at Sarhari Railway Station.

The rescue operation has been started on the special directives of Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir. Rescue teams of Pakistan Army and Rangers have started reaching the accident site.

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

Officials of Pakistan Army and Rangers are delivering food items at the accident site.

The rescue operation will continue till the transfer of the last injured to the hospital and rehabilitation of the people trapped at the accident site.

At least 25 people were killed and several others wounded as Hazara Express train derailed near Sarhari in Nawabshah.

Sources said 10 coaches of the train, going from Karachi to Sargodha, were derailed. The rescue sources said work of evacuating passengers from train coaches was underway. The death toll may rise as 10 of the wounded are in critical condition as per the rescue sources.

An eyewitness said they recovered 25 bodies in one of the coaches. The Pakistan Railways spokesperson said more than 1000 people had booked seats in the train.

Emergency has been imposed in the nearby hospitals. The track from Karachi to Lahore and Lahore to Karachi has been blocked due to the rescue operation.

Two trains with relief and rescue teams were dispatched from Sukkur to the site of incident. The injured are being treated at Nawabshah, Tando Adam, Shahdadpur and Hyderabad hospitals.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over loss of lives in the train accident and directed the concerned authorities to immediately provide medical facilities to the victims.

In the last two years only, 500 small and big scale mishaps have taken place on railway tracks older than 150 years. The accidents have become normal because of dilapidated condition of 300 km railway tracks, for which nobody is ready to take responsibility.