SHEIKHUPURA/Lahore - Fifteen people including fourteen members of a family were killed when a train hit a motorcycle rickshaw at an unmanned train-crossing near Khanpur village in Sheikhupura on Saturday. Women and children are among the dead.
According to Rescue 1122 and police, the family of village Daowdkey Khanpur was going to participate in Urs of Shah Sheen Bukhari by a rickshaw when Lahore-bound Karakoram Express hit the rickshaw at the train-crossing.
Eyewitnesses said the tragic incident happened due to the negligence of the rickshaw driver who without realising the speed of the train tried to cross the track.
The fast train could not stop and rammed into the rickshaw and dragged it up to 1 kilometre. Parts of rickshaw and human limbs were scattered on both sides of the railway track.
Railways Minister Kh Saad Rafique visited Sheikhupura and met heirs of the deceased family. He announced Rs 500,000 compensation for each deceased.
Earlier addressing a news conference in Lahore, Saad announced formation of a committee to probe  the incident, which will submit its report within 24 hours. He promised that those responsible for the tragedy would be brought to justice. However, he added the initial investigation showed the horrible incident happened because of rickshaw driver’s fault.