ISLAMABAD TELEGRAPH REPORT
Sheikhupura: Fifteen Sikh pilgrims were martyred in Pakiatan’s Sheikhupura district as their passenger van got hit by high speed passenger van on Friday in the Afternoon.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was deeply saddened following the accident.
“Deeply saddened at the accident this afternoon at a railway crossing near Sheikhupura which resulted in the death of atleast 20 people, mainly Sikh pilgrims returning from Nankana Sahib. Have directed that proper medical care be provided to the injured,” Imran Khan said.
A press note issued from Pakiatan’s Ministry of Railways confirmed of Friday.
Rescue officials from both Railways and district recuse services have arrived on the scene of the accident and are recovering bodies as well as the injured, the statement added. All divisional officials have been directed to arrive at crash site.
Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid has ordered authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident.
According to media reports, most of the passengers in the coaster were Sikh Yatrees who were returning from Nankana Sahib.
An inquiry has been ordered to fix responsibility of the incident.
Eye-witnesed told Islamabad Telegraph, the passenger van got struck at unmanned railway crossing. Despite trying several times, driver couldn’t manage to get through.
In the meanwhile a high speed passenger train approached the scene , collided with the passenger van with a big bang. Killing fifteen passengers of the van, mostly Sikh pilgrims returning from Nankana Sahab.
“it was a horrible accident. Train collided with the van with a big bang. I saw people trying to jump out of Van’s window. While dead bodies of martyred were pressed into Van’s body.
While body parts of martyred were spread into a circle of 150 feet, ” Mohammad Aslam, one of a few people who witnessed the accident, told Islamabad Telegraph over telephone.
“There was blood and flesh everywhere. Rescue teams struggled to collect body parts of martyers,” Aslam said.
It is worth mentioning here that a horrific collision between a speeding train and a passenger bus had killed at least 20 people and left scores injured near the Rohri railway station in Pakistan”s southern Sindh province in February this year.
Over the last 16 year, as many as 851 minor and major accidents have occurred due to collision with different vehicles at unmanned level crossings on Pakistan Railways network across the country.
Out of total around 31 accidents took place in 2003, 40 in 2004, 49 in 2005, 42 in 2006, 71 in 2007, 49 in 2008, 60 in 2009, 76 in 2010, 59 in 2011, 64 in 2012, 71 in 2013, 49 in 2014, 65 in 2015, 74 in 2016, 22 in 2017 and 29 in 2018,” Associated Press of Pakistan, country’s official news agency reported last year quoting an official of Ministry of Railway.
According to report, around 2220 accidents were reported on Pakistan Railways network across the country due to different reasons during 2003 to 2018.
The causes of these accidents included collision of passenger trains, collision of passengers train with goods train, collision of goods train, derailment of passenger and good trains, derailment of M/G trains, collision at manned and unmanned level crossings, fire in trains and averted collision.
Giving detail of the derailments and accidents, he said that out of 2220, as many as 112 accidents occurred in 2003, 123 in 2004, 147 in 2005, 167 in 2006, 187 in 2007, 133 in 2008, 158 in 2009, 166 in 2010, 125 in 2011, 96 in 2012,117 in 2013, 121 in 2014, 175 in 2015, 153 in 2016, 109 in 2017 and 131 in 2018.
Currently , Pakistan Railways (PR) is taking several steps including up-gradation of unmanned and vulnerable railway level crossings across the country to control accidents in collaboration with respective provincial governments.
150-year-old faulty and obsolete signal system installed on Pakistan Railways network was considered the main reason behind the increased number of train accidents.
Seventy four train accidents have been reported during last couple of years out of which 54 inquiries had been completed and the other 20 were still under investigation.
Quoting sources , APP reported that Main Line-I (ML-I) from Peshawar to Karachi track had completed its life by 55 per cent, while ML-2 and ML-3 had surpassed 82 per cent and 80 per cent of their usable lives, respectively.
