SADIQABAD, Pakistan 12 July 2019: Seventeen people were killed and 83 injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train at the at Walhar near Sadiqabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
A police spokesman in the area said police and army teams were involved in the rescue operations and the injured were taken to Sheikh Zayed Hospital and Rahim Yar Khan Military Hospital.
Preliminary information suggests that the collision occurred when the signal was changed from the passenger train track to the line where the freight train stood, leading to the accident, said Wam.
The Akbar Express, heading to the western city of Quetta from Lahore, crashed into the freight train in southern Rahim Yar Khan district, destroying five carriages and trapping passengers.
Rescuers freed the wounded by cutting through the twisted metal of the carriages and dozens were taken to hospital, police said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister of Railways, to take urgent steps to improve railway infrastructure and ensure safety standards.
