At least 45 dead after Pakistan train derails

An express train crowded with holiday travelers derailed in southern Pakistan early Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and injuring many more, officials said.

The overnight train was going from Karachi to Lahore when about 12 of its 16 carriages came off the rails near Mehrabpur, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Karachi, the officials said.

Rescue workers recovered 50 bodies from the wreckage, and were calling in cutting equipment to enable them to reach other victims, said Sikander Ali, a senior police officer at the scene.

Azhar Ali Rajpar, a local villager who heard the crash and rushed to help, said he had seen dozens of dead bodies and "countless" injured people.

"Almost all of the carriages were destroyed," Rajpar said by telephone. "There is total darkness. It is almost impossible for the rescuers."

The train, which derailed at about 2 a.m. (21:00 GMT Tuesday), was loaded with passengers traveling home for the Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Adha.

Mohammed Khalid, a railway official who was traveling in one of the rear wagons which stayed on the rails, said he suspected a problem with the track - possibly sabotage - caused the accident.

Some of the carriages had plunged into water standing alongside the rails, Khalid said.
Mehrabpur Mayor, Farooq Ahmed Lodhi, said the bodies of nine people who died had reached the city's hospital along with about 80 others injured in the crash.

Courtesy:thehindu.com
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