According to a spokesperson, four railway officials, including the train conductor, have been suspended.
At least 31 passengers were injured in a train collision near Qila Sattar Shah Station in the Sheikhupura district of Punjab on Sunday.
The Lahore-bound passenger train, which originated in Mianwali, was reportedly travelling on the same track as a goods train, culminating in a collision.
The train operator endeavoured to avoid the collision but was unsuccessful.
The tragedy injured 31 passengers aboard the train, according to rescue personnel. They added that five injured passengers were transferred to the district hospital headquarters.
The railway officials stated that rescue efforts are ongoing at the accident site, and an investigation into the incident has been initiated.
In the meantime, a railways spokesperson stated in a statement that train operations in the Lahore division are proceeding without incident.
After the tragedy, the track was cleared at 7:30 a.m., the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson added that Mianwali Express had also been dispatched and that all passengers were secure.
According to the spokesperson, four railway employees have been suspended, including conductor Imran Sarwar and his assistant Muhammad Bilal.
The spokesperson added that an investigation commission headed by the deputy principal officer will submit its report on the incident within 24 hours.
The chairman railways said legal action will be taken against those culpable for the incident. Shahid Aziz, CEO of Railways, stated that no concessions will be made regarding passenger safety.
It is pertinent to note that four bogies of a goods train derailed a day earlier near the same train terminal.
Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister and president of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), expressed regret and demanded action against those responsible for the disaster.
Frequent accidents occur on Pakistan’s deteriorating rail system, and successive administrations have spent years attempting to secure funds to upgrade the rail network as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In the past decade, a number of fatal train accidents have occurred in the United States, and their frequency appears to have increased in recent years.
Ten bogies of the Havelian-bound Hazara Express derailed 275 kilometres from Karachi near the Sahara Railway Station in Sindh’s Nawabshah district in August of this year, officials said. At least 56 people were slain and a dozen others were injured.
Then-railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique subsequently informed the National Assembly that six railways officials whose negligence caused the derailment of the Hazara Express were suspended.
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