KARACHI, Pakistan
At least 30 people have been
killed and 100 injured when a train derailed in southern Pakistan, a police
spokesman has confirmed.
Several carriages of the
Hazara Express overturned near Sahara railway station in Nawabshah, about 275km
(171 miles) from the largest city Karachi.
Wounded passengers were moved
to nearby hospitals. Rescue teams are trying to free people from the twisted wreckage.
Accidents on Pakistan's
antiquated railway system are not uncommon.
Railway Minister Saad Rafiq
said initial investigations showed the train was travelling at normal speed and
they were trying to establish what led to the derailment.
A railways spokesperson in
Karachi said at least eight carriages went off the track.
Some people were still trapped
inside a train carriage, according to local broadcaster Geo.
"We don't know what
happened, we were just sitting inside," said one dazed woman who was rescued
from a carriage, while others were being taken away by ambulance.
An emergency has been declared in the main hospitals in Nawabshah and neighbouring districts of Sindh.
Videos posted on social media
show dozens of people at the site of the accident, with some passengers
climbing out of the overturned carriages.
Asif Mir, who witnessed the
incident, told Reuters: "As soon as the accident happened, people started
screaming. Everyone was running around in panic. People were totally
distraught.
"Local people carried out
the rescue operation for almost an hour before the rescue services arrived. We
transported people to local hospitals."
Train services to the interior
districts of Sindh have been suspended.
Sindh Information Minister
Sharjeel Memon told BBC News that the government's top priority was "the
rescue work, which we are totally focused on".
In 2021, two trains travelling
in Sindh province collided, killing at least 40 people and injuring dozens.
Between 2013 and 2019, 150
people died in such incidents, according to local media reports.
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