JIT pins blame on Pakistan Railways for Gujranwala train accident

Report cites over speeding as cause of incident in which 19 people, including 14 army personnel lost their lives

The joint investigation report probing into the Gujranwala train incident declared on Friday over speeding as the main cause of the tragic incident in which 19 people lost their lives, including 14 army personnel, Express News reported.

“The speed of the train should have been 30 kilometres per hour but it was travelling at a higher speed at the time of the incident,” the report said.

Read: 18 dead as train carrying military troops falls into canal near Gujranwala

Fixing responsibility on officials of the Pakistan Railways, the inquiry committee said, "The engine of the train derailed from the tracks due to over speeding which caused the deadly accident."

The ill-fated freight train was headed for Kharian from Pano Aqil with more than 300 passengers on board when it met an accident near Jamke Chatha and four of its bogies fell into the canal.

Soon after the incident, an investigation team had been constituted consisting of members of the Pakistan Army as well as people from the Railways Ministry.

Read: Rail tragedy: 5 more bodies recovered as death toll rises to 19

The team was constituted under the guidance of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and aimed to produce a report probing into the accident.