KARACHI: At least 11 people died and over 60 others sustained injuries after a passenger train crashed into a stationary freight train in Pakistan on Thursday, confirmed Pakistani authorities.
The accident took place when the Akbar Express, heading to the western city of Quetta from Lahore, crashed into the freight train in the Sadiqabad area of Punjab province’s southern Rahim Yar Khan district.
Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed the infrastructure of Pakistan’s colonial-era railway network behind the accident.
“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 165 km from Karachi.
The cause of Thursday’s crash is under investigation but Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said human error was believed to be responsible.
Meanwhile, the minister also announced compensation for the dead and injured.
(Agencies)
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