Karachi – At least 20 people were killed and 60 injured when two passenger trains collided Thursday morning near Karachi’s Landhi Railway Station.
The collision occurred between Zakaria Express and Fareed Express. Initial reports revealed that both trains arrived in Karachi from Punjab.
Footage showed rescue officials working around crumpled and overturned bogies in the darkness. Chatta said several trapped passengers had to be extracted from their carriages.
Rescue teams have arrived at the site and injured are being shifted to hospitals for immediate treatment.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometres of track and trains from former colonial power, Britain.
In September, at least four people were killed and more than 100 injured when two trains collided near Multan. The accident occurred when a Karachi-bound Awami Express passenger train rammed into a goods train which had stopped after running over a man crossing the railway track.
The railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
Last November, 19 people were killed in Balochistan after a train’s brakes failed and it sped down the side of a mountain.
In July 2015, at least 17 people were killed when a special military train fell into a canal after a bridge partially collapsed.
