Pakistan rail crash: 11 killed as passenger train hits freighter in Punjab

The accident took place at Walhar Railway Station in Rahim Yar Khan district

• 

  People gather at the scene of a train accident near the city of Sadiqabad in Pakistan's Punjab province on July 11, 2019. EPA

• 

  At least 11 people died and more than 60 were injured when a passenger train rammed into a stationary freight train at Walhar Railway Station in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province. EPA

• 

  Five train carriages were derailed and twisted in the collision, requiring rescue workers to cut through metal to reach the injured. EPA

• 

  Pakistan's railway minister said an investigation had been ordered into the accident in Punjab province, with early information suggesting human error was to blame . REUTERS

• 

  The rescue effort involved army personnel as well as emergency services. AFP

• 

  Some of the injured were in critical condition, Pakistani officials said. AP

A passenger train rammed into a freight train in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 60 others.

The freight train was stationary when the speeding passenger train hit it at Walhar Railway Station near the city of Sadiqabad in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province.

Rescue workers including army personnel had to cut through the twisted metal of derailed carriages to reach the injured and other survivors. Some of the injured were in critical condition, officials said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed the accident on "decades of neglect" of Pakistan's railway system.

"Have asked railways minister to take emergency steps to counter decades of neglect of railway infrastructure and ensure safety standards," Mr Khan tweeted.

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the cause of the crash was under investigation but human error was believed to be responsible.

"I have ordered an inquiry. Investigation will complete in two-three days," he told Pakistan's Geo Television channel.

According to a local police official quoted by Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, a signal change on the track sent the passenger train on to a loop line where the freight train was parked.

The railways minister also announced compensation of 1.5 million rupees (Dh34,700) for the dead and 500,000 rupees for the injured.

Train accidents are common in Pakistan mainly because of poor railway infrastructure and negligence of railway authorities. In June, three people were killed when two trains collided in southern Sindh province.