20 KILLED AS TRAINS COLLIDE NEAR KARACHI’S LANDHI RAILWAY STATION
At least 20 people were killed and up to 60 injured when two passenger trains collided Thursday morning near Karachi’s Landi Railway Station, officials said.
“The death toll has now risen to 20, the condition of several more is critical,” said Jinnah Hospital Spokesperson Seemi Jamali.
Divisional Superintendent (DS) Railway Nasir Nazeer said up to 60 people had been injured in the accident, adding that there could have been up to 1,000 passengers in both trains. Officials said rescuers armed with metal-cutting equipment and heavy cranes had managed to pull all the passengers from the twisted wreckage. “No one is left inside,” Ijaz Ahmad Khan, a Karachi administrative official, told reporters at the scene.
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Labour Senator Saeed Ghani said that railway officials gave a green signal to the train coming from behind by mistake, and it went on to hit the train at rest.
Nazeer said that an inquiry has been launched into the cause of the accident.
Witnesses described watching in horror as Zakaria Express from Multan rammed into Fareed Express from Lahore, which was parked there, with the roar of the crash swiftly followed by the screams of people trapped inside.
At least two carriages from the trains overturned due to the collision. TV footage showed the trains had suffered heavy damage. DAWN.COM