At least 32 people have been killed and scores injured after a train collision near the southern Pakistani town of Dharki, officials say, with rescue work still under way to find survivors trapped in the debris.
The collision took place early on Monday morning near the town of Dharki, about 440km (273 miles) north of Pakistan\u2019s largest city of Karachi, officials say.
\u201cIt is a very serious situation. Thirty two dead bodies have been found and the injured, there are 98, but the number keeps rising,\u201d said Dr Manzoor Jakhrani, a senior health official.
\u201cRescue work is ongoing, people are still trapped in the trains.\u201d
Television footage from the site of the crash showed the mangled wreckage of the two trains strewn across the track, with rescuers using cranes and other equipment to try and reach those trapped inside.
The accident took place when eight compartments of the northbound Millat Express train derailed near Dharki, local official Razzaq Minhas told Al Jazeera. The southbound Sir Syed Express passenger train then hit the derailed compartments, he said.
\u201cRescuers are still trying to get into at least two crashed bogeys, they are still removing the debris,\u201d he said. \u201cEquipment and paramilitary forces are there to remove the debris.\u201d
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was \u201cshocked\u201d by the crash, and ordered Railways Minister Azam Swati to reach the site of the accident on Monday.
\u201cHave asked railway minister to reach site and ensure medical assistance to injured and support for families of the dead,\u201d he tweeted. \u201cOrdering comprehensive investigation into railway safety faultlines.\u201d
The Pakistani military said it had dispatched rescue helicopters, ambulances and specialized search and rescue crews to the site of the crash.
\u201cEngineer resources moved to carry out necessary relief and rescue work,\u201d said a military statement. \u201cArmy special Engineer Team [for] Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) being heli-lifted from Rawalpindi to incident site to speed up relief and rescue efforts.\u201d
Pakistan\u2019s aging railway system has seen numerous accidents and crashes in recent years, with successive governments investing little in maintaining the tracks and signal systems.
In 2019, at least 73 people were killed after a gas canister blast and fire on board an overcrowded passenger train near the town of Liaquatpur.
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