SHEIKHUPURA: At least two persons were killed and six others injured when a Karachi-bound train collided with an oil tanker in Sheikhupura district of Punjab on Monday night, rescue sources said.
They said seven carriages of the train caught fire after the collision. The driver of the train is also among those dead. “Three carriages near the engine caught fire after the collision, which then engulfed other carriages,” said Najam Khan, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Railways.
Emergency services are attempting to contain the fire and have extinguished the fire in two carriages. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.
“The incident occurred as the level crossing was open,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khalid Gujjar. Khan added that further help had been sought from Lahore. The Shalimar Express was heading towards Karachi from Lahore. Earlier this year, seven schoolchildren were killed when a train crushed two motorcycle rickshaws in Punjab’s Lodhran district.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometres of track and trains from former colonial power, Britain. The railways have seen decades of decline due to alleged corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
