Pakistan train derailment: Death toll climbs to 30, over 80 injured

The death toll in the Hazara Express derailment in southern Pakistan on Sunday (August 6) has climbed to 30 while more than 80 people have been injured. Speaking to HUM News, a railway official said that the Hazara Express was travelling from Karachi to Abbottabad when its eight coaches were derailed at around 1.18 pm.

The derailment happened near Sahara railway station in the city of Nawabshah in the southern Sindh province. The injured were shifted to the People's Medical Hospital in Nawabshah, with more injuries feared. As per officials, the cause of the derailment is not yet known.

Speaking to the news agency AFP, provincial railway official Ijaz Shah said that a relief train hasbeen dispatched to the site. Local media, meanwhile, said that dozens of people were present at the accident site, with some smashing windows to help passengers clamber out of the twisted carriages.

According to a report by Geo News, railway authorities said that it may take up to 18 hours to restore operations, and the recovery of tracks will also take time, as it requires removing the bogies.

This accident comes just a day after three coaches of Allama Iqbal Express — travelling from Karachi to Sialkot — derailed, the report added. No one suffered injuries in Saturday's accident.

Accidents on Pakistan's rail system are common and for years governments have tried to secure funds to upgrade the rail network as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative for infrastructure projects.

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