GHOTKI: The death toll from the deadly Ghokti train crash surged to 62 on Tuesday after rescue workers recovered seven more bodies from the debris of the collided trains. Railway Authorities finally managing to clear the track 27 hours after the deadly collision took place.
Over 62 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when two trains collided near Ghotki in the wee hours on Monday.
The Millat Express had derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterwards, railways officials had confirmed, saying that the collision took place between the Raiti and Obaro railway stations.
DS Sukkur Tariq Latif said the rescue operation had been completed after the government cleared the track, retrieving the 17 coaches that had been affected by the crash and the engine of the train.
“The up and down track has been restored; have received orders to resume train service,” he said, adding that the track had been closed since 3:40am Monday morning.
Latif said trains which were unable to continue their journey since Sunday, were allowed to resume their operations. “The speed of trains travelling on affected routes has been kept slow, for the time being,” he said.
The death toll rose today after seven more bodies were recovered from the crash site. Out of the 100 injured in the accident, some of them are expected to be in critical condition.
Bodies have started to arrive at people’s homes, where burials are taking place. In Lodhran, a large number of people attended the funeral prayers of two brothers, their cousins and mother who all died in the accident.
Meanwhile, Minister for Railways Azam Swati arrived at the crash site to oversee the rescue operations. Swati said if his resignation meant the deceased can come back to life, he was ready to do so.
Promising a comprehensive inquiry, Swati said people will witness that those found responsible in the Ghotki train crash will be punished.
He said train tracks in the Sukkur Division were in poor conditions but added that train tracks were in better condition at the place where the crash took place.
“We have to find out now who is responsible for this accident,” he said, adding that 18 people had been punished when the first train accident took place after he held the reins of the ministry.
Read more: Ghotki train crash occurred after track’s welding joint broke: initial investigation report
