ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, has expressed suspicions of sabotage as a potential cause behind the train accident in Nawabshah. “It was either a mechanical fault or it was developed,” he said regarding the possible causes of the accident.
According to initial investigations, the train was traveling at a reasonable speed. Rafique stated that officials have already reached the accident scene. Hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah have imposed emergency measures to deal with the situation.
Nawabshah Train Crash: 25 Killed, Over 80 Injured In Hazara Express Accident
A deadly train crash occurred near Sahara Railway Station, approximately 275 kilometers away from Karachi. As many as 10 bogies of the train derailed, resulting in a tragic death toll of nearly 25 passengers. Additionally, over 80 others sustained injuries in the accident.
Accidents in Pakistan’s decaying rail system occur frequently. The successive governments have been attempting to secure funds to upgrade the rail network as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative for infrastructure projects. Train crash suspends operations to and from interior Sindh districts, raising concerns about material and human losses.
Deputy Inspector General of Police in Benazirabad, Younis Chandio, reported that they had already cleared nine out of 10 wrecked bogies. They were able to rescue the injured and deceased.
Earlier, the railway authorities had indicated that restoring operations might require up to 18 hours, and recovering the tracks would be time-consuming, given the need to remove the bogies.
The police promptly rushed to the incident site after the crash. With the assistance of locals, they transferred the injured passengers to the People’s Medical Hospital in Nawabshah.
