Pakistani onlookers and local residents search for victims in the wreckage of train carriages after two trains collided in Rahim Yar Khan Pakistani onlookers and local residents search for victims in the wreckage of train carriages after two trains collided in Rahim Yar Khan. PHOTO: AFP
The death toll from the deadly train crash at Sadiqabad climbed to 24 on Friday as Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid claimed that the collision was the result of human negligence.
Rashid, speaking to a private news channel, said that an inquiry report of the incident will be finalised today and those found responsible for the mishap will be held accountable.
Announcing compensation for the victims, the minister stated that Rs1.5 million will be given to the heirs of the deceased, Rs0.5 million to those who are critically injured and Rs200,000 will be given to those who suffered minor injuries.
Passenger train Akbar Express, travelling to Quetta from Lahore, rammed into a freight train at Walhar railway station near Sadiqabad in Rahim Yar Khan district on Thursday morning.
The impact was so strong that several compartments of Akbar Express went off the rail while the locomotive suffered substantial damage, according to officials.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where the railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
A National Assembly standing committee was recently told that there have been 384 train accidents in Pakistan since 2014: 74 in 2018-19, 67 in 2017-18, 78 in 2016-17, 76 in 2015-16, and 89 accidents in 2014-15.
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