by Raheela Nazir

ISLAMABAD, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Akhtar Malik, with his wife and two children, was looking forward to visiting his hometown in Pakistan's eastern Sargodha district and attending the much-awaited wedding event of his beloved sister. He never knew that life has a different plan for him.

Malik was traveling on the Millat Express train from the southern port city of Karachi on Monday morning when several coaches of the train derailed and landed on an adjacent track, where they were hit by the Sir Syed Express train coming from the eastern Rawalpindi district.

Police officials told local media that the accident has left over 40 people killed and more than 100 others injured.

Over 1,100 passengers were onboard the two trains when the accident took place at around 3:30 a.m. local time near Daharki, a city located in the Ghotki district of southern Sindh province, according to government officials.

"I heard a big bang followed by loud screams of terrified passengers, crying out for help. There was a state of utter confusion and disorder... with dead bodies and injured people all over," Malik told Xinhua.

"I got completely numbed for a brief moment. The first thought that came into my mind after regaining consciousness was to check on my family, but could not move my legs as I was in severe pain after getting hit by an iron rod," he said, adding that after some time, "we have been evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment for multiple injuries."

Malik said his family reunion and celebrations were no longer the way they have been expecting, as the accident has come nothing less than a disaster for the family though they have luckily survived.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Arif Rao, an eyewitness in the area, said he was on his way to a factory for work when he saw the deadly accident. "Initially, I could not see anything clearly as there were thick clouds of dust and smog... then I saw mangled green compartments of the trains and people covered in blood, desperately trying to get out of them."

"I along with other local volunteers and rescue personnel pulled out more than 20 bodies including women and children, and dozens of injured from the two trains," he said, adding that there are still many more trapped inside the trains and awaiting help.

To assist the police and local administration in their relief and rescue efforts, Pakistan army troops reached the site and carried out the rescue activities.

The army's special engineer team was sent from Rawalpindi to the crash site by helicopter to speed up relief and rescue efforts, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding that "rescue operation and frame cutting of train in progress to evacuate people inside bogies."

Two helicopters are also being used for evacuation and speedy relief measures, the ISPR said.

Calling the incident "very unfortunate," Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told local media that it is premature to say whether the accident occurred due to a technical error, negligence, or sabotage but all aspects were being investigated.

He feared that the death toll might further rise because several of the wounded were in critical condition at various hospitals.

Experts and officials in the country attributed the frequent railway accidents to the poorly maintained signal system and aging tracks. The country has reported 27 major train accidents since 2002, killing over 550 people while injuring hundreds of others, sources from the Pakistan Railways told Xinhua.

Muhammad Munir, a former senior official of the Pakistan Railways, said that the dilapidated condition of the railway tracks especially in Sindh province, unmanned railway crossings, and the public's limited knowledge about safety around the railway tracks are the main reasons behind most of the railway accidents.

Munir said a complete overhaul of the Pakistan railways is needed.

"More money in the upcoming budget should be allocated to resolve railways problems," Munir said. Enditem

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