At least 12 injured as passenger train derails in Toba Tek Singh

Engine and three bogies of Rehman Baba Express derailed due to ‘brake failure’

The engine and three bogies of Rehman Baba Express derailed in Toba Tek Singh, injuring at least 12 passengers on Friday morning, officials said.

According to police and rescue officials, the injured were shifted to nearby hospital.

A Pakistan Railway spokesperson said the Karachi-bound train from Peshawar derailed due to brake failure.

Eye-witnesses told Express News that most of the injuries occurred due to sudden break applied by the driver. An acute shortage of water was also witnessed following the accident, adding to the passengers’ misery in extreme hot and humid weather conditions.

150 killed in railway accidents in past five years

An alternative engine was called in from Faisalabad, after which the track was later reopened.

As many as 150 people have lost their lives in over 385 train accidents throughout the country during the past five years. At least 74 train accidents occurred in 2018, of which inquiries into 54 have been completed, while the other 20 are still being investigated.

Obsolete railway tracks, faulty signal system and heavy loads are cited as main factors in most of these incidents.

With additional input from APP