KARACHI - As many as 22 people were killed and over 60 others wounded when two passenger trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided during morning rush-hour near Landhi junction in Karachi yesterday.
According to details, Zakaria Express coming from Multan rammed into Fareed Express at Jumma Goth railway station. Following the collision, three bogies of both the trains turned into debris and two carriages overturned.
Witnesses described watching in horror as one train sped into the railway station and rammed into the second, which was stationary, with the roar of the crash swiftly followed by the screams of people trapped inside.
Rescuers armed with metal-cutting equipment and heavy cranes managed to pull all the passengers from the twisted wreckage.
Many were rushed to Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital, where an AFP reporter described horrifying scenes as the injured lay screaming and crying while medics rushed to help them.
“I am dying, I am dying, please, please, I am dying,” cried Abdul Ghaffar, 55, as doctors tried to move his legs and hands. He appeared to have multiple injuries, while his children and wife were also wounded and lay on beds nearby.
Other victims appeared too stunned to talk. Many had head and foot injuries, and at least one man had his leg amputated below the knee.
Law-enforcement agencies and ambulances of various welfare organizations rushed to the spot and shifted the victims to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Civil Hospital.
At least 60 wounded passengers were shifted to hospitals where doctors termed the condition of some injured critical. Scores of residents rushed to the spot and tried to rescue the people stuck in the train.
Witness Saqib Fatimi, while talking The Nation, revealed that as he reached the spot, the injured were screaming running while mutilated bodies were trapped in debris. He said rescuers of various organizations rushed to the spot and started shifting the injured and bodies to different hospitals.
Another eyewitness said rescue teams retrieved the victims trapped in the debris after hours’ hectic struggle for lack of equipment as at least three bogies of the trains had been completely ruined.
Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique rushed to Karachi and visited the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. While talking to newsmen, Khawaja said an inquiry committee had been formed to probe the incident, adding it would submit its report within 72 hours. He opined it might be negligence of the driver who was still missing. Ruling out the impression that the train driver was untrained, Khawaja said he had been performing this duty for eight years. He announced compensation of Rs 1.5 million for the heirs of each deceased passenger and Rs 350,000 for each injured.
In reply to a question, Khawaja said railways had data of the passengers and it would be helpful in identifying the victims.
Sources privy to the matter revealed it would be possible that the driver ignored the red signal or no signal was given by the department’s staff at the time of arrival of another train on the same track.
The passengers who died on the spot were identified as Shamim Iqbal, Kausar Mazhar, Sakina d/o Mazhar, Rashida w/o Asif, Naveed, Muhammad Shafiq and Fayyaz while rest of the victims have yet to be identified.
Casualties were still being counted but there could have been a total of up to 1,000 passengers on board the trains when the accident occurred, said Nasir Nazeer, an administrative official in Karachi.
Ajab Gul told AFP he was on his way to his factory job when he witnessed the accident.
“Suddenly another train came speeding in and smashed into the parked train,” he said, describing the sound of the crash as “huge”.
“There were clouds of dust and smog. After that we heard screams. People inside the collided trains were screaming and crying.”
Onlookers rushed to their aid, he said, adding that he had helped pull 17 people, including women and children, from the wreckage.
But, he added, “there were many other people trapped inside... we could not get them out.”