Türkiye has extended its condolences to Pakistan over a passenger train accident that left 30 people dead and 100 others injured.
“We learned with great sorrow the loss of many lives due to the derailment of the Karachi-Rawalpindi passenger train in Pakistan today (6 August),” a Foreign Ministry statement said on Sunday.
“We wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives, extend our condolences first and foremost to the relatives of the deceased as well as to the friendly and brotherly people and the Government of Pakistan, and wish speedy recovery to the injured,” the statement added.
Earlier, a passenger train derailed in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, leaving 30 people dead and 100 others injured.
Pakistan’s Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq said the accident may have occurred as a result of “technical failure” or “sabotage.”
At least 10 carriages of Hazara Express, which was travelling from the port city of Karachi to the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi, derailed near the Nawabshah district, some 267 kilometres from Karachi on Sunday afternoon, Pakistan Railways said.
Army and paramilitary force Rangers were called in to assist the rescue operation as railway operations have been halted following the deadly accident.
More army contingents and an army helicopter have also joined the hours-long rescue operation.
Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq confirmed the death toll, saying the accident could be a result of a technical fault or an “act of sabotage”.
The state-run media, citing health officials, said those killed and injured, including women and children, were brought to a hospital in Nawabshah city, 15 km away from the accident site.
Authorities feared a rise in the death toll as dozens of passengers are still trapped inside the toppled carriages, while conditions of several injured are critical.
Teams are facing difficulties in carrying out rescue operations and transporting injured to hospitals due to the remoteness of the accident site.
Train accidents are not rare in the South Asian country, mainly because of weak infrastructure and lax safety standards.
Some 63 passengers were killed in a collision between two trains in Sindh in June 2021.
Source: TRTworld.com