Pakistani security and rescue officials inspect the derailed carriages of a passenger train in Sanghar, near Nawabshah, Pakistan, on Sunday. At least 30 people are dead and more than 60 are injured. Photo by Nadeem Khawer/EPA-EFE
Aug. 6 (UPI) — At least 30 people are dead and more than 60 injured after a train derailed in southern Pakistan on Sunday.
The Hazara Express train carrying 950 passengers went off the tracks near the city of Nawabshah in the Benazirabad District of Sindh province, CNN reported. The train departed Karachi, a city on the coast of the Arabian Sea more than 160 miles away, at about 8 a.m.
The train was traveling to Havelian which is more than 700 miles further northeast. It was moving at about 28 mph at the time of the derailment, The New York Times reported.
Khawaja Saad Rafique, railway minister, said an emergency declaration has been issued for all hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah to treat the injured, according to Radio Pakistan. The cause of the investigation is under investigation.
Two trains are en route to the site of the derailment to provide relief, Rafique said. Passengers are being extracted from the train through the roofs of some of the overturned cars. There are at least cars on the train.
Pakistan army rangers arrived on the scene, some by helicopter, to undertake rescue efforts.
All activities on the rails to Karachi have been suspended.
In 2021, 65 people were killed and 98 were injured when two trains collided between the Sindh and Punjab provinces. The Sir Syed Express was heading to Karachi when it crashed into the Millat Express which was bound for Sargodha. A welding joint failure on the track was the cause of the crash.