Deadly collision: Train kills six of family in Gojr

Child, parents among dead; no proper gate present at railway crossing

FAISALABAD: The weekend joy of a family turned into tragedy as six of its members were killed in an unfortunate accident on Sunday. An eight-year-old child and his mother were among the six crushed to death under a passenger train in Gojra, some 45 kilometres away from Faisalabad.

A couple and their child along with three other family friends were travelling in a Toyota Corolla near Chak No. 93, Gojra when the accident took place at an unmanned crossing, police said. All the passengers died on the spot.

The victims were identified as 50-year-old Mansab, his wife 35-year-old Shahnaz, their child Faizan, driver Ali Asghar, Muhammad Afzal and Nasir Iqbal. They were all residents of Salanwali, Sargodha.

Rescue 1122 In-charge Muhammad Ashraf told The Express Tribune that six people were inside the car when the driver tried to cross the railway track but the car was hit by the locomotive Shalimar Express.



Rescue teams arrived at the spot and shifted them to the Gojra Civil Hospital. The bodies were handed over to their heirs after completion of legal formalities and taken to their native village Sillanwali for burial.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives due to the train-car collision.

The chief minister offered sincere condolences to the bereaved families and also sought a report about the accident from the railways and district administrations.

Eyewitnesses said the car was destroyed in the hit and all the passengers were mutilated. The incident occurred because there was no proper gate at the railway crossing.

A number of similar train-related accidents have occurred in the recent past.

On January 6, a motorcycle-rickshaw collided with the Hazara Express train in Lodhran, killing eight people, including six schoolchildren and the driver. The accident took place when 15 children were en route to school. Just like Sunday’s accident, the gate at the railway line was open.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2017.