Passenger train derails near Multan; seven killed, 50 hurt

A passenger train derailed near Multan on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of at least seven people including a minor child and injuring over 50 others.

According to officials, Peshawar-bound Rehman Baba Express met the tragedy at Sher Shah Bridge at around 5:15am when a number of its carriages went off the tracks, with some overturning

Soon after the incident, rescue workers and the Pakistan Army teams arrived at the accident site and started shifting the dead and the injured to the hospital.

Rescue sources claimed that at least seven people including three women, two men and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl died as a result of the derailment. They said over fifty people were transferred to hospital for treatment and a few of these injured were in critical condition.

A spokesperson for Multan's Nishtar Hospital said 21 patients were still receiving treatment, while one injured person was in critical condition. The hospital had called in additional staff to ensure medical care for the victims.

The cause of the derailment remained unclear. Some sources claimed that the train was travelling at a high speed when the accident occurred, but this claim could not be independently verified.

A passenger also claimed that the nuts and bolts of coach No 9 of the Rehman Baba Express had been repaired near Rohri. However, the account could not be independently verified, and it was unclear whether the reported repair had any connection with the accident.

Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi took notice of the incident and directed the authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the injured.

He expressed solidarity with the families of those killed and said compensation would be paid to the deceased and injured passengers in accordance with the Pakistan Railways insurance policy.

The minister visited the accident site to review the situation and oversee rescue and relief operations. He also constituted a committee to investigate the incident and directed the Federal Government Inspector of Railways to conduct an inquiry into the derailment.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took notice of the accident and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives. He extended his best wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed the relevant authorities to expedite rescue operations and ensure that all medical facilities were provided.

The accident disrupted train schedules, particularly services travelling from Karachi towards Rawalpindi. Railway officials said some trains were being diverted through an alternative route, while clearing the affected track and completing relief operations could take several more hours.

Railway authorities said train operations had been restored via the Lodhran-Jahanian route.

Rescue operations continued at the accident site as authorities worked to clear the derailed carriages and establish the cause of the tragedy.