Sindh railway accident

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The network of the state-owned Pakistan Railways (as of 2011)

The Sindh railway accident occurred on June 7, 2021 on the Karachi - Peshawar line in the Ghotki district of Sindh Province in southern Pakistan .

the accident

The Millat Express, coming from Karachi, derailed at 03:38 a.m. local time between the Raiti and Obaru train stations near Daharki . Some wagons tipped over onto the opposite track. About a minute later, the Sir Syed Express approaching on this now occupied track drove to the scene of the accident despite the emergency braking being initiated. As a result, many travelers were trapped in the car and had to be freed. About 1200 people were on board the two trains involved.

At least 62 people died in the accident and at least 150 were injured, some seriously.

Recovery and consequences

It took a few hours for the rescue workers to reach the scene of the accident. The Pakistani armed forces dispatched troops, two helicopters, doctors and paramedics to support rescue and relief efforts. Using heavy equipment, the victims and trapped or trapped injured were rescued and freed. The wrecks of the trains were also removed from the route, which was closed in both directions, using heavy equipment. The rescue work dragged on into the afternoon of the current day and has now been completed.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "shocked" by the accident. He ordered investigations into railway safety. According to Information Minister Fawad Hussain , investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, whether it was a "terrorist act" or human or technical failure.

Railway network in Pakistan

Both the route network and the rolling stock of Pakistan Railways are outdated, in poor condition and in need of repair. The tracks were built around a century ago under the British colonial rule at the time. There is hardly any expansion, repair or replacement of the tracks. The long-planned renewal of the ailing Pakistani railway network, especially the main line ML-1 on which the accident occurred, is the largest infrastructure project in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor , part of the Chinese One Belt, One Road initiative in the country . However, its implementation has recently stalled. The chairman of the railway company Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani said after the accident that any measures to upgrade only the affected track section would be a waste of resources, without a fundamental renewal of the entire route it could not be "foolproof".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ n-tv NEWS: Dozens of dead in train accident in Pakistan. Retrieved June 7, 2021 .
  2. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Many dead in train accident in Pakistan | DW | 06/07/2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021 .
  3. ↑ DER SPIEGEL: Pakistan: Number of dead rises to 62 after train accident.Retrieved on June 8, 2021 .
  4. ^ A b Süddeutsche Zeitung: Pakistan: At least 40 dead in train accident. Retrieved June 7, 2021 .
  5. ↑ a b https://www.reuters.com/world/india/more-than-30-dead-southern-pakistan-train-collision-police-2021-06-07
  6. ↑ https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/Pakistan-Belt-and-Road-railway-hits-snag-as-China-nixes-low-rate