ISLAMABAD: The death toll from the rail accident has risen to 17 as four more bodies were recovered on Friday, the army said on Friday, the day after a special military train fell into a canal when a bridge partially collapsed. A senior officer was among those killed when four of the train’s carriages carrying troops and military equipment derailed and fell from the Chanawan Bridge near Gujranwala.“The total bodies recovered till now (are) 17. Search (still) continues,” Major General Asim Bajwa, the ISPR spokesman, said in a message posted on his Twitter account.The incident occurred near Wazirabad as the train carried soldiers from Panu Aqil to Kharian. It is not yet clear why the bridge — a simple, single-track rail-only crossing passing just a few feet above the water of the canal — collapsed.Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique hinted there may have been foul play involved, saying a heavier train had crossed the same bridge an hour earlier without a problem. But a spokesman from Pakistan Railways said an investigation into the incident was still ongoing.“We have submitted an initial report to the prime minister but the exact details will be ascertained after complete investigations,” Rauf Tahir said.“It’s an unusual event. We are investigating the reason for this sudden collapse of the bridge.” – APP adds: The funeral prayer of Lt Col Amir Jadoon Shaheed, his wife, son and daughter who were martyred in Gunjranwala train accident was offered. The funeral prayer of the martyrs was offered at FF Centre Abbottabad.Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Hidayatur Rehman, senior military and civil officers, elite of the area and a large number of people attended the funeral prayer of Lt Col Amir Jadoon Shaheed and his family members. The relatives of the Shaheed and members of Jadoon family also offered Namaz-e-Janaza and paid rich tributes to the services offered by Lt Col Amir Jadoon Shaheed for the country.Meanwhile, according to ISPR, funeral prayers for Major Muhammad Adil Sharif, who died in a tragic train accident near Gujranwala, was held at Lahore Garrison. Commander Lahore Corps Lieutenant General Naweed Zaman, Director General Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) Major General Umar Farooq Burki, General Officer Commanding Major General Sardar Tariq Aman and a large number of army officers and soldiers attended the funeral prayers.He was laid to rest with full military honours at Army graveyard Cavalry Ground, Lahore.
