Passenger train derails near Multan with multiple fatalities
The Rehman Baba Express derailed near Multan in Punjab province early Tuesday morning, with all 14 coaches leaving the tracks around 5:15am. Varying reports indicated between four and seven deaths and dozens of injuries, as rescue teams worked to clear the site and transport casualties to hospital.
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A passenger train travelling from Karachi to Peshawar derailed near the Sher Shah Bridge outside Multan in Punjab province, Pakistan, in the early hours of Tuesday. All 14 coaches of the Rehman Baba Express came off the tracks around 5:15am local time. Initial reports gave conflicting death tolls, with local broadcaster Geo News reporting seven deaths and more than 40 injuries, while Punjab's emergency services department reported four dead and at least 17 injured. A rescue worker at the scene stated that at least four people had died and around 25 were injured. The cause of the derailment remained unclear, though one passenger mentioned that workers had been repairing nuts and bolts on one of the carriages near Rohri shortly before the incident occurred. Rescue teams, comprising 11 ambulances and approximately 30 workers, were sent to the site, and injured passengers were taken to Nishtar Hospital in Multan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to accelerate rescue operations, and President Asif Ali Zardari ordered a transparent investigation into the cause. Pakistan's railway network, dating from the colonial era, carries more than 80 million passengers annually and has experienced repeated fatal accidents, including a 2023 derailment near Nawabshah that killed around 30 people.
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