Two explosions damage railway tracks in Jamshoro, Hyderabad

SUKKUR: Two low-intensity explosions damaged the railway tracks in Jamshoro and Hyderabad districts on Thursday, disrupting the railway traffic for a couple of hours. Reports said that first explosion took place at the upcountry track in the Khursheed Town area near Kotri railway station in the Jamshoro district.

The railway police said that the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that ripped off a half feet part of the track before the Shalimar Express was scheduled to move through the same track.

Rangers and police personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the area. Pakistan Express and Bahauddin Zakaria Express were also stopped at the railway stations. The police said it was still not known who carried out the explosion as no group had claimed the responsibility for the incident.

In another incident, a 9-inch part of the up-track was damaged in a low-intensity IED blast that took place near the Mirza railway crossing over five kilometres away from the Hyderabad railway station.

The Hyderabad Police and a team of bomb disposal squad (BDS) reached the spot and the BDS personnel collected traces of the explosives, however, no casualties were reported in both the incidents. Muhammad Ramzan, an official of the BDS Hyderabad, said that 250 grams of explosive material was used in both the blasts caused by the IEDs.

The Railways maintenance department managed to restore the train traffic after six hours’ work.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Railways Prem Union (CBA) Central Chairman Ziauddin Ansari, Central President Shaikh Muhammad Anwar and Secretary General Khair Muhammad Tunio condemned the incidents, saying the patrolling of railway tracks should be carried out to avert such incidents.