'Unlikely that faulty tracks responsible for crash': Swati on initial probe into Ghotki train accident

Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati said on Wednesday that it was unlikely that a fault in an eight-mile (12.87 kilometres) stretch of railway tracks was responsible for the recent train accident in Ghotki.

Two passenger trains collided near Daharki on Monday, a city located in the Ghotki district of upper Sindh when a Millat Express train — headed from Karachi to Sargodha — derailed and fell across the "down track". Due to this, it collided with a Sir Syed Express train coming from Rawalpindi, according to a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Swati said that the tracks where the incident had occurred had recently undergone maintenance on a stretch of eight miles. Swati added that he himself and other senior personnel had inspected and monitored the accident site themselves so "there is less possibility that there was any fault in the eight miles of (railway) tracks but I can't determine this until the final report arrives."

The railways minister, giving updates on the casualties, said 63 lives had been lost, while 107 were injured, 20 of whom were currently undergoing treatment. Of the 20, three were in critical condition, said Swati.

---

More to follow.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2Tgt8Iv