At least four passengers were injured on Tuesday when an explosion on a railroad track near Sultan Kot near Shikarpur, derailed four coaches from the Jaffar Express traveling from Peshawar to Quetta, police and railways told officials.
According to security sources, the explosion occurred while the train passed through the Sultan Kot station. The injured passengers were taken to a neighboring hospital for an initial medical treatment.
A spokesperson for Pakistan railways said the rescue teams had been sent to the site, while train operations in the region had been temporarily suspended.
The incident caused fear and panic of passengers and residents nearby.
Read: The Jaffar Express service remains suspended
The Minister of Sindh, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, took note of the explosion and asked for a detailed report of the main superintendent of the Shikarpur police (SSP). He ordered the law enforcement organizations to launch an immediate investigation into the incident.
Lanjar said those responsible for damaging the railroad would be brought to justice and stressed the importance of solid evidence and coordinated efforts to trace and stop the authors. He asked officials to keep him informed of the progress of the investigation.
Find out more: Jaffar Express takes over the service after the track repairs
Jaffar Express resumed his operations last week on the Quetta – Peshawar road, five days after the suspension of the services following an explosion of bomb which damaged the railway and the bridge near Spezand on September 23.
Railway managers said the suspension was imposed after the terrorists exploded a section of the line, injuring several passengers and disturbing trains along the route. They confirmed that repair and catering work on the damaged infrastructure had since been completed, allowing the services to restart.
The explosion occurred between the stations of Degari Cross Speedent and Sariab, derecting the engine and five train coaches to Peshawar. The authorities thought that the explosion took place 30 to 45 minutes before the train reached the site.
The officials said that the device was an improvised explosive planted near the track, which exploded when the train passed, leaving several passengers, including women and children injured.
After the explosion, the Jaffar Express and Bolan Express services of Quetta were canceled, the passengers receiving complete reimbursements. The emergency operations were immediately launched, involving heavy machines to clean the wreck, realign the reversed coaches and repair the track.
An incident survey was launched. Earlier in March, terrorists had diverted the Jaffar Express carrying more than 400 passengers, leading to the death of 21 people before authorization operations could begin.
