At least 12 killed as Jaffar Express train derails near Bolan

QUETTA: At least 12 people were killed and over 100 injured on Tuesday when the locomotive and several bogies of the Jaffar Express train derailed near Bolan area of Balochistan, administration and railway officials said.

The accident occurred after the train's brakes failed as it sped down the side of a mountain, officials said, with many of the injuries believed to be serious.

"Four carriages of a Rawalpindi-bound train which left Quetta Railway station were derailed near Abegum area of Bolan district, some 75 kilometres from Quetta city," said Akbar Hussain Durrani, home secretary of Baluchistan.

"The incident happened because the brakes of the train failed," he said.

Officials said that the train driver, his assistant and two police personnel were among the dead.

The victims were shifted to hospitals in Quetta where an emergency has been declared at all hospitals.

Durrani said a rescue and relief operation had begun and officials had already arrived on the scene.

According to the ISPR, the Quick Reaction force of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan along with ambulances reached the site of the train accident for the rescue operations.

Two MI-17 Army helicopters had also been flown from Quetta to the location to aid in the rescue operation, said the ISPR.

Train accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of miles of track and trains from former colonial power Britain.

The railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and under-investment.

In July, at least 17 people were killed when a special military train fell into a canal after a bridge partially collapsed.