A screengrab showing the train that mounted a closed track. SCREENGRAB: EXPRESS
Rescue services said that at least nine people are still trapped under the train, Express News Bureau Chief Gujranwala Hafiz Shahid reported.
The wheels of two carriages of the train are buried in the ground, and the floor of the train carriage is level with the ground.
Authorities have also requested for heavy machinery required to pull the train back onto the track at the Gujranwala railway station.
Both drivers of the train have reportedly fled the scene.
Railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has also ordered an inquiry into the incident. He added that he is personally supervising the rescue effort.
The train was traveling from Lahore to Rawalpindi and did not stop at its designated point, and overshot over a closed section of the track until it hit an electric poll.
The track was surrounded by thousands of people from the locality.
This is not the first train accident in July this year. At least 14 people were killed and one person was injured when a rickshaw collided with a train near Sheikhupura on July 6.
The Karakoram Express was on its way from Lahore to Karachi when it met an accident with the rickshaw which was reportedly carrying around 25 people – mainly women and children.
COMMENTS (18)
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@A Pakistani: Can you please provide the source of your information that the revenues were generated from the sale of land? Sheikh Rashid started many new train routes and, in my opinion (that may be uniformed), the revenue increase was thanks to them.
@A Pakistani: What action? has he resigned? sheikh Rashid said that in response to the comment by a journalist that he should resign? This is the second accident in 1.5 month stint of Saad Rafique and 2 accidents already!!
@Omelet: What? In Pakistan, you always blame someone else for the fault. Are you sure that CIA/ RAW/ Mossad were not behind this?
@ Omelet You are spot on Sir/Madam. The important thing is that every accident must be fairly probed, the negligents should be punished and then processes & procedures should be revamped to avoid recurrence of such accidents in future.
@ zab Your statement proves that ignorance is bliss. The money that naive people consider as having been left by Sheikh Rasheed was not the Revenue generated from service but from the sale of precious land at throw away prices (the recent scandals of NICL and EOBI should be enough to understand the case in point). It is a common sense that such revenue is one-off in nature and cannot be sustained for a going concern business. . @ Frank observer What you consider as "song" is a simple depiction of facts that the situation has improved considerably. While in the past a Railways Minister used to establish alibi after each accident, Kh Saad has shown the moral courage to visit the accident site, consoled the bereaved families and resolved to remove encroachments around railway tracks in a systematic operation. Please get out of the conspiracy theories like "payroll"! Pakistan is moving into the 21st century where people do serve selflessly.
People on this forum should stop blaming Chinese engines. How many train accidents do you get to hear about in China? Always blame your own faults on others.
@A Pakistani: Are you the Railways Minister himself? If not, please go easy.
@Breaking Bad: I asked you for answer, not asked you to ask me question.understood, are you tubelight? why everything understand latter?
@A Pakistani:
You've not done a very good job at painting a positive picture in favour of Saad Rafique. You need to do better than this to keep yourself on his payroll. Better luck next time.
P.S. Had this incident happened in any true democracy around the world, i.e. in a western country, the railway/transport minister would have been held accountable and would have either resigned or been sacked irrespective of whether it was or wasn't his fault.
Pakistan will never progress thanks to the mind set of people like you. Four people have died in a train crash and here you are signing songs in favour of the railway minister. Very sorry state of affairs indeed!
I was supposed to go to Gujranwala on that train today but I fell asleep and missed the train...
My best guess is that train was Rail Car , I regularly travel on that from Lahore to Gujranwala and Vice Versa
I guess I should thank Allah for my poor sleeping schedule...
Chinese engines..........Cheap but...................
@A Pakistani: Dont compare Sheikh Rasheed as we all know when he left railway he left with 7 billion surplus and will Saad Rafiuqe hand over him self as he is Railway minister and what about LDA Plaza fire Sharif of Lahore did not took any action ............................
These kind of incidents happen but govt should protest to the killing of 4 in Jammu and Kashmir
Timely notice and action by the Railways Minister proves that the Department is moving in the right direction. Although you cannot foresee accidents but you can always learn from each mishap by improving your processes & procedures and punishing the negligents. It reminds us of an accident some 6 years ago, when the then Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that "he is not responsible for the accident since he wasn't sitting on the driving seat!". Thanks God, better sense prevails this time around in Pakistan!
RIP Very Sad news .but the minister of railway is busy for Horse trading of Presidential Election in Karachi..Who is responsible for this criminal negligancy ?
@Haidar: is your last name conspirator?
Next time when you buy Chinese engines, get a Chinese driver also. :-)
Its accident or attack?