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| 18 killed in Karachi train collision |
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
By M Waqar Bhatti
KARACHI: Eighteen people on-board the Karachi-bound Allama Iqbal Express died and over 40 others sustained injuries when it collided with a goods train near Jumma Goth, Landhi, on Tuesday afternoon, rescuers and Railways officials said.
“I can confirm after the completion of the rescue operation that a total of 18 passengers of the Allama Iqbal Express, including women and children, have died while 42 others sustained injuries,” SP Railways Muzaffar Shaikh told The News.
Teams of the Railways, police, Rangers, Army, Edhi and Chippa rushed to the site to carry out rescue and relief operations. The dead and injured were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), some 30-35 kilometres away from the site of the accident. Some of the seriously injured died on their way, rescuers said.
“When I reached the site, I saw bogies of the Allama Iqbal Express mangled and there were people trapped inside them, crying for help,” Rasheed, who reached the place immediately after the accident, said.
Railways officials blamed the driver of the passenger train, Jam Rasool Bukhsh, for the tragic accident, saying he ignored a red signal while the Super parcel goods train had already been signalled to adopt the main track for upcountry.
The Pakistan Railways has ordered an inquiry into the accident. A four-member inquiry committee has been constituted to look into the causes of the accident and fix responsibility. A passenger, Muhammad Akram, who survived the accident, told The News that the train remained stationary for some 25-30 minutes prior to the collision, which took place within a few minutes after the train resumed its journey.
A female passenger, who identified herself as Roshan Jahan, said she was going to toilet when she heard a bang. “I fainted and when I regained consciousness, I was in hospital,” she added.
Noor Muhammad, a retired military man and a resident of Orangi Town, who was coming from Lahore, said: “I feel fortunate that I’m still alive despite such a massive accident. So many deaths were caused due to the delay in rescue operation,” he claimed, adding that no rescue teams had reached the site even one hour after the accident.
Divisional Superintendent (DS) Karachi Railways Division Aftab Memon told newsmen at the site of the accident that the driver of the train had fled. “It was his fault as he was signalled to stop while the goods train was directed to take the main track.”
However, General Manager Railways Saeed Akhtar had earlier told some TV channels that the driver was injured and he had confessed to violating the red signal.However, some insiders in the Railways Karachi Division said the railways control room was responsible for the accident as it signalled the goods train to adopt the Up track while the signal for the passenger train was also turned green.
“It is true that the signal for the Allama Iqbal Express was red but it was turned green and then the driver restarted the journey towards Karachi,” a railway official said requesting anonymity.
The dead were identified as eight-month-old Muhammad Shayan, son of Muhammad Asad, three-year-old Manesha, daughter of Ishaq, an unidentified child, Roshan Jahan, 50, Farzana Noor, 30, Ayaz Leghari, 50, Tahir Aslam, 40, Nasir, 29, Lalazar 20, Fazal Ilahi, 20, Ismail, 21, Ismail Leghari, 20, Narsingh, 29, Abdul Rasheed, 45, Faisal Abbas, Abdul Hafeez, 45, Naureen, 28, and a 50-year-old unidentified man.
The injured included Muhammad Nazir, 60, Muhammad Nawaz, 20, Abdul Ghani, 20, Waseem Ahmed, 23, Ilyas, 25, Shafqat Hussain, 21, Tahir, 17, Yasmin, 37, Sajid, 26, Sufyan, eight, Jahanwar Malang, Muhammad Ibrahim, 25, Moazaam, 3, Muhammad Iqbal, 30, Arshad 28, Farzana, 35, Waheedur Rehman, 36, Asif, 22, Shazia, 22, Sakhawat, 40, Noroz Khan, 50, Kulsoom, 40, Nazeer, 40, Attaullah, 30, Sheikh Azizullah, 55, Mehreen, 19, Shahbaz, 17, M Bilal, 22, M Aslam 55, Noman, 10, Javed 10, Kausar, 33, Waris, 20, Nazeeran, 30 and Kausar, 30. The identity of 10 injured could not be ascertained.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
