Trains collide in eastern Pakistan, killing 3

Trains collide in eastern Pakistan, killing 3

2011-08-30 20:04:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- At least three people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured when a freight train crashed into the back of a passenger train in eastern Pakistan, local officials said.

The accident happened on the Badami Ragh railway crossing in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, when a Babu train made an emergency stop after running over a child. As a result, a Khyber Mail freight train coming from behind crashed into the passenger train.

Emergency teams arrived at the scene and transported the injured to the Nawaz Sharif and Mayo hospitals, where an emergency was declared. Officials said the violent crash, which derailed three carriages, killed at least three people and injured sixteen others.

In addition to the fatalities as a result of the collision, the child which was overrun by the train was also killed. Some media reports said railway authorities had failed to change the green light to a red light after the train stopped.

Police are investigating the accident.

The train accident came only a day after a group of gunmen attacked a Quetta Express train as it was passing through Bolan's mountainous region near Ladipul, which is located about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Mach and around 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) southeast of Quetta. Three people died of gunshot wounds while 25 people were injured.

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