At least five people killed in train derailment

Rolled over: Rescue workers searching for survivors following the derailment of passenger train 'Rehman Baba Express' on the outskirts of Multan, Pakistan. — AFP

A passenger train derailed, killing five people and injuring 35 others, police and a Pakistan ­Rail­ways spokesman said.

The train was travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to the northwestern city of Peshawar when it derailed in Sher Shah city in Punjab province, railway spokesman Kaleem Akhtar said.

Rescuers recovered all four bodies and evacuated the injured from the train’s 14 cars, he said.

The injured were taken to a hospital for treatment, but one died before he could be transpor­ted, rescue officials said.

Emergency responders and para­medics were dispatched to the scene, he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief in separate statements and urged authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured.

Train accidents are relatively common in Pakistan, where the railway system has suffered from decades of underinvestment, out­dated tracks and ageing signal systems.

In 2023, 10 cars of a passenger train derailed in southern ­Pakis­tan, killing 30 people and injuring more than 90 others. — AP