The last straw: 9 camels die in train collision, electrocution

Most of 12 severely injured camels unlikely to survive.

RAHIM YAR KHAN/ MULTAN:

Two accidents in south Punjab claimed the lives of nine camels and caused severe injuries to a dozen more on Tuesday.

In the first incident, four camels were killed and 12 injured when a passenger train slammed into them near Adam Sahaba train station in Rahim Yar Khan. Witnesses said a herd of camels roaming near the train tracks had started crossing the track. They said that before the camel herder could get the animals off the track, many were struck by Bahauddin Zakariya Express. Four camels were killed instantly and around a dozen were severely injured. The herdsman fled the scene, apparently apprehensive that he might be arrested for not being vigilant.

Pakistan Railways staff and the local administration started efforts to restore traffic on the track, which the witnesses said was “littered with camels’ bodies”. They suggested that most of the stricken animals might not survive, some because of the extent of their injuries and others because it was customary to slaughter injured animals for their meat once it became clear that they might not recover fully, or soon.

Zakariya Express, which plies between Multan and Karachi, was not reported to have suffered any damage that would prevent it from continuing its journey. No injuries were reported among the train passengers.

High voltage

In the second incident in Suraj Miani area, in the periphery of Multan, five camels grazing near an electricity pylon were killed when they walked into transmission wires. The electrocution of the camels, worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, dealt a severe blow to the family that owned them and members of the family were seen sobbing and crying over the animals’ bodies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2014.