Multan, October 13 (Daily Kiran) : A tragic train derailment occurred early Tuesday morning in Multan, Pakistan, claiming the lives of six individuals and injuring more than 40 others. Local media reported that all 14 carriages of the Rahman Baba Express derailed near the Sher Shah Bridge.
The injured were promptly transported to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, while rescue teams worked diligently at the accident site. According to a passenger interviewed by Geo News, the incident took place around 5:15 AM as the train was en route from Karachi to Peshawar.
Muhammad Arshad, an official from the Rescue 1122 team, informed the English daily Dawn that 49 people sustained injuries, and the rescue operation was ongoing.
In a conversation with Dawn, the train driver recounted that the train was traveling at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. He noted, “The signal was clear. As I passed through the Sher Shah station area, I suddenly felt a jolt. I applied the brakes and managed to stop the train. When I got out of the engine and looked back, I saw the passenger coaches had derailed and were lying off the tracks. It was terrifying.”
This incident adds to a troubling trend of derailments in Pakistan’s railway system, attributed to negligence and lax safety measures. Just on October 1, two passenger trains, the Shalimar Express and Pakistan Express, narrowly avoided major accidents after derailing. Additionally, a minor incident involving the Jafar Express occurred near Gujar Khan.
Previously, Hafeezullah, the Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Railways, indicated that such accidents were the result of inadequate oversight over the past five years. In August, a coal train derailed after colliding with a sand mound near Firoza Railway Station, while the Rawal Express derailed on the Lahore-Rawalpindi track, disrupting services.
Other derailments have occurred throughout the year, including the Hazara Express in early August and a Lahore-bound train in late July, raising serious concerns about the safety of rail travel in Pakistan.
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