Lahore: Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Sunday that 28 passengers were killed and several others injured in the tragic accident of Hazara Express near Sarari railroad station in Sindh’s Nawab Shah district.
He confirmed this along with senior officials of Pakistan Railways to the media here at the headquarters of the railroad company. The minister said that soon after the accident, a state of emergency was declared in the hospitals of Sukkur and Nawab Shah districts while relief/information centres were set up in Lahore and Faisalabad to help the relatives of the victims.
He also expressed his deep grief over the loss of lives and prayed for early recovery of the injured. He expressed his deep sorrow over the tragic incident and said that the employees of Pakistan Railways, from secretaries to train drivers, were making efforts to make the train journey safe despite the paucity of resources.
Federal Minister Kh Saad Rafique promised that a thorough and impartial investigation into the accident would be conducted to find out why the incident happened even though the tracks were fine and there was no technical problem. According to the train driver, he was driving the locomotive at a speed of 45 to 50 kilometres per hour.
“The railroad’s investigation team has already gone to Sarari station, and at the moment we cannot say anything about the cause of the accident, whether it was a technical fault or an act of sabotage,” he said.
The minister said that the district administration in charge, Rescue-1122, Pakistan Army personnel, rangers and railroad staff had also reached the spot and started relief and rescue operations. He assured that the first relief train had also reached Sarari railroad station and efforts were being made to clear both tracks as soon as possible.
Kh Saad Rafique said he was in constant contact with Sindh Chief Minister, provincial administration and DG Rangers, adding that the Secretary and CO Railways were monitoring the situation
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