A train derailment in southern Pakistan left at least 30 people dead and more than 60 injured Sunday, officials said.
A passenger train, the Hazara Express, was traveling from Karachi to Havelian when approximately 10 of its cars derailed, CNN reported. The derailment occurred near the town of Nawabshah, leaving many passengers trapped, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Passenger train derailment in Pakistan’s Sindh province leaves at least 30 people dead and 67 others injure pic.twitter.com/ro0WejleVQ
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Rescue efforts already recovered 30 bodies, though the death toll is expected to rise, senior police officer Abid Baloch told the AP. Baloch further revealed responders to the disaster successfully rescued 60 wounded passengers, some of whom were suffering critical injuries.
Injured passengers were taken to the nearby People’s Hospital in Nawabshah for treatment, senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho told the outlet. Another senior railway officer, Mohsin Sayal, stated train service was suspended as rescue and recovery operations continue, adding that repair teams were dispatched to the site and alternative transportation would be made available for other passengers, the AP reported. (RELATED: Derailed Train In India Reportedly Leaves At Least 50 Dead, Hundreds Trapped)
Minister for Railways, Khaja Saad Rafiq, expressed his assurances that an investigation into the derailment was underway, according to the AP.
Train accidents are reportedly common in Pakistan as the aging infrastructure has not been maintained or updated since the colonial era in the country, the outlet stated.