Peshawar-bound train derails owing to over-speeding

MULTAN: A Peshawar-bound train derailed near Umerkot in Rajanpur owing to over-speeding on Tuesday.

Initial reports had claimed that the Khushal Khan Express’s bogeys toppled over following a blast on the track.

However, police officials said the train derailed as the railway track was weak and the train was over-speeding.

“The train slipped from the railway track due to high speed and probably a weak railway track,” Police Superintendent Muhammad Fazal Rehman said, while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“There are no signs of any bomb blast or any hole on the railway track and surroundings,” he said, nullifying earlier reports that a remotely-controlled bomb was planted on the railway track.

“All nine bogeys of the train derailed,” Rehman added.

Soon after the incident, police arrived at the scene and rushed the injured to the hospital.

As per initial reports, more than 100 people have suffered injuries owing to the incident. Of them, 10, including a woman, are said to be in critical condition.

Over the past five years, Khushaal Khan Express has been attacked seven times in Rajan Pur district.