Lahore:
On Friday, more than 150 passengers were injured when five trainers from the Islamabad Express passenger train overturned near Kala Shah Kaku station, just 15 kilometers from Lahore, in a terrifying derailment which narrowly avoided plunging the train into a ravine.
The train, on the way from Lahore to Rawalpindi with hundreds of passengers on board, met the accident near the rugged field surrounding Kala Shah Kaku.
According to the injured passengers, the sudden tremors started while the train crossed the section near the station, which means that five rear coaches turn from the east side of the track and overturn.
Meanwhile, the locomotive dragged four passenger coaches over 500 meters from the rails before stopping.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic, while men, women, children and the elderly shouted for help in the middle of the wreck. With the area surrounded by darkness and difficult to access, the rescue teams had trouble reaching the site in time.
The injured passenger cries echoed all night, creating an atmosphere of distress and fear.
The injured passengers said that the 107 consisted of nine coaches and had just crossed the periphery of Lahore when it started to shake violently. The derailment site is located in a remote area flanked by steep ravines on both sides of the railway, which raises a much greater tragedy if the overturned coaches had fallen into the gorges.
Rescue 1122 published an official declaration putting the number of injured at 27. However, eyewitnesses estimated the number much greater than 100, some suggesting that it crossed 150.
After receiving the alert, the deputy commissioner of Sheikhupura, Shahid Imran Marth, the police officer of the district Bilal Zafar Sheikh, and the teams of Rescue 1122 and the police units of Muridke, Sheikhupura, Ferozewala and Shahdara were rushed to the scene. They supervised first aid and evacuation efforts throughout the night.
Many injured passengers were seen wandering in the dark in search of their personal effects or trying to reach the GT road nearby. Several have used private vehicles to reach hospitals by themselves, while others were transported to medical establishments under the supervision of rescue staff.
The blocked passengers later left the scene in private vehicles, hoping to resume their trips from alternative points. Several were frantically seen trying to locate their luggage in the middle of the derailed coaches.
Although the cause of the derailment remains under investigation, civil servants should disclose more details once the technical assessments are completed.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow about the train accident and ordered the rescue teams to start operations to help passengers as soon as possible. He ordered the provision of immediate medical assistance to the injured in priority. He prayed for the rapid recovery of the injured.
