Two women, man knocked to death by trains in Punjab

Several fatal train accidents have taken place in Punjab in recent months

RENALA KHURD:

Two women and a man were crushed to death by trains while crossing railway tracks in Kala Shah Kaku and Renala Khurd on Monday.

In Renala Khurd, two women, Nooran Bibi and Waziran Bibi, were hit by a train going from Lahore to Karachi. The victims, who were residents of Depalpur, were crossing the tracks while returning home after visit their relative Muhammad Abbas, a resident of Lehrasib Town. Both of them died on the spot.

Upon receiving information about the accident, the railway and local police reached the spot and handed over the bodies to the families of the victims after removing them from the tracks and completing legal formalities.

Local people complained that no barrier had been installed near Lehrasib Town on the railway line in Renala Khurd, due to which accidents often happen.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Abbas, a resident of Chak 44 near Jeeran, on the suburbs of Kala Shah Kaku, was grazing goats when they went onto the railway tracks.

Meanwhile, Peshawar Express came from Lahore. While attempting to save the goats, the herdsman himself was killed by the train. After the incident, personnel of railway and Ferozwala police handed over the body to the family after legal formalities.

Muhammad Abbas worked as a gardener at Government Girls School Chak 44 and was the father of three children.

Several fatal train accidents have taken place in the province in recent months.

On July 3, at least 20 Sikh pilgrims died and several others were injured in a collision between a train and a coaster near Sheikhupura.

On July 8, a 70-year-old man was killed after being hit by a train while crossing the railway line near Kot Lakhpat railway station.

As per details, a freight train going from Lahore to Karachi hit the old man who was crossing the railway line. As many as 1,875 of the total 3,389 railway crossings across the country are unmanned.

Of these, 436 railway crossings in Punjab were deemed extremely dangerous and barriers have with installed at 75 of them along with deployment of staff to operate them. There is a ban on new railway crossings on the main line between Lahore and Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2020.