A crowded passenger train has derailed in southern Pakistan killing at least 50 people and injuring up to 100.
About 12 carriages of a train travelling between Karachi and Lahore came off the rails near the city of Mehrabpur in Sindh province.
Some carriages plunged into water. The express train was packed with passengers returning home for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.
Hundreds of people have died in recent years in crashes on Pakistani railways.
Hours after the accident, rescuers were still trying to cut into at least one of the carriages and trapped passengers were heard calling for help.
Wednesday’s crash happened shortly after 0200 (2100 GMT).
“We were almost asleep when we heard something - a big bang,” passenger Shahid Khan told Reuters news agency.
"Then I felt I was flying through the air and the carriage was tumbling to the ground.
“We were grappling in the darkness,” he said. “Somehow we managed to make it out.”
Rescue workers struggled with large numbers of casualties in the dark and cold and did not have equipment to cut open the carriages, officials said.
Many local people turned out to help, carrying the injured away on rickshaws, motor-scooters and donkey carts. The scene of the crash was strewn with the wrecked carriages, wheels, and luggage.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways on Thursday lowered the death toll from a massive train derailment to 35, even after two people died of their wounds overnight. The state-run company had previously said at least 45 people were killed in Wednesday’s crash, when an express train came shooting off the rails and tumbled down an embankment. “The final death toll is 35,” Pakistan Railways operations director Junaid Qureshi was quoted as saying. He said the earlier higher toll had been an estimate.
He said around 250 people had been injured, most with minor wounds, and that 35 people were still in hospital – 10 in critical condition. The Karachi Express was en route to Lahore, filled with hundreds of people getting ready to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, when the train derailed outside Mehrabpur, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Karachi.
I thought moderator has already closed this thread, you duo again started this thread. Why? Because figure has reduced from 50 to 35. Even one person die in such accident is total failure of railway system which result in death of innocent person. Railway officials always lie about casualties, actual figure must be more than 50 in such disasters. Normally Railway Minister should have resigned and appoligise from the families of deceased.
I thought moderator has already closed this thread, you duo again started this thread. Why? Because figure has reduced from 50 to 35. Even one person die in such accident is total failure of railway system which result in death of innocent person. Railway officials always lie about casualties, actual figure must be more than 50 in such disasters. Normally Railway Minister should have resigned and appoligise from the families of deceased.
Farid bhai, I don't know why the other thread was closed. I agree Railways minister must resign, but when did that last happen anytime in Pakistan. In fact when did it last happen in any major western country you know about?
I admit we cant blame one person but the way that waste Shiekh Rashid from the Mush bandwagon was gloating a little while ago, about how he had transformed the railways is just sickening.