At least 20 people were killed and more than 74 injured when two trains collided in central Pakistan early Thursday, officials said.
The incident took place in Rahim yar Khan district in Punjab province when a passenger train coming from the eastern city of Lahore rammed into a goods train that had stopped at a crossing, a senior government official said.
"At least nine dead bodies have been retrieved," local police officer Omar Salamat told TV channel Geo News told AFP.
Salamat said 74 passengers were injured in the accident and had been taken to nearby hospitals.
11 killed in Rahim Yar Khan Train Incident | Shiekh Rasheed in Trouble | Breaking News | BOL News https://t.co/8bCwKx7TfB pic.twitter.com/rBpjHXd6P8
— PakistanTV.TV (@PakistanTV_TV) July 11, 2019
"The condition of three to four passengers is critical," he said.
Pakistan PM hits out at poor railways
Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement of condolence in which he blamed the infrastructure of Pakistan's colonial-era railway network which has fallen into disrepair due to chronic under-investment and poor maintenance, reports Reuters.
"Have asked Railways Minister to take emergency steps to counter decades of neglect of railway infrastructure and ensure safety standards," Khan tweeted.
Last month, six people were killed when a freight train collided with a passenger train in Hyderabad 165km from Karachi.
A speeding passenger train rammed into a freight train in #Pakistan’s eastern #Punjab province, killing at least eleven people and injuring 60 othershttps://t.co/KvSMbAxO5t
— Financial Express (@FinancialXpress) July 11, 2019
The cause of Thursday's crash is under investigation but Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said human error was believed to be responsible.
"I have ordered an inquiry. Investigation will complete in two-three days," he told Geo Television.
The minister also announced compensation for the dead and injured.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where the railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
TV footage from the site showed the heavily damaged train engine and carriages, as emergency workers and local people used metal-cutting tools and heavy cranes.
Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, the country's minister for railways told TV channel Aaj that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes of the incident.
