GHOTKI: The death toll in the deadly train collision in Daharki city of Ghotki has surged to 45 besides more than 100 other people were injured. Officials supervising rescue operation fear that death toll may go up.
Millat Express collided with Sir Syed Express in the wee hours of Monday near Daharki, a city in Ghotki District in the Sindh.
Locals, police, army personnel continued rescue operation all day shifting dead and injured to hospitals.
The Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterwards, railways officials confirmed, saying that the collision took place between the Raiti and Obaro railway stations.
According to reports Millat Express was on its way to Sargodha from Karachi while Sir Syed Express was going from Punjab to Karachi when the Millat Express derailed near Daharki and collided with derailed bogies of Sir Syed Express.
Eight bogies of Millat Express and three bogies, including the engine, of Sir Syed Express derailed.
A rescue operation was launched some hours after the accident was reported. The injured and deceased were shifted to hospitals in Sadiqabad, Daharki and Mirpur Mathelo.
SSP Ghotki Umar Tufail said that the death toll may rise as the rescue operation is continue and people strained in collided bogies of two trains are being evacuated.
He said he expected the toll to shoot up as there were still mangled train compartments that rescuers had not been able to access despite the passage of hours since the accident in Ghotki.
Several passengers are still feared to be trapped in the train for which heavy machinery has been called, he added. He said there were up to 25 people in one compartment yet to be accessed.
The SSP said that a medical relief camp has been set up at the accident site and medical aid is being provided to the injured.
According to spokesperson of Pakistan Railways, several bogies of Millat Express, which and fell on the other track. Sir Syed Express, coming from opposite direction, collided with these bogies at about 3:45 am. The incident took place between the Raiti and Obaro railway stations.
The spokesperson told media that further details about the incident will come to light after initial investigation; however, rescue operation is underway and additional teams have also been dispatched from Lahore.
Meanwhile, troops of Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers Sindh have also reached the spot to assist the civil administration in the operation. The bodies are being shifted to nearby hospitals.
An emergency has been declared at hospitals in adjacent areas and doctors and paramedical staff had been called on duty.
Read more: Deadly train collision: Death toll of Daharki train crash jumps to 37, injures over 64
