18 killed after passenger train rams into bus in Pakistan
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The site of the accident in Sukkur district in Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Friday. An incoming Pakistan Express, which was on its way from Karachi to Lahore, hit a bus that was heading to Sargodha in central Punjab province. At least 18 people were killed and 55 injured, while the death toll could rise as some of those hurt were in critical condition, said an official.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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KARACHI • At least 18 people were killed and dozens more injured when a passenger train rammed into a bus on Friday in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, officials said.
The incident took place in Sukkur district, where the incoming Pakistan Express - on its way from Karachi to Lahore - hit the bus, which was heading to Sargodha in central Punjab province.
"At least 18 people have been killed and 55 wounded," Mr Rana Adeel, a deputy commissioner in Sukkur, told Agence France-Presse, adding that the death toll could rise as some of those hurt were in critical condition.
Senior railway official Tariq Kolachi confirmed the casualty toll and said the rescue operation was ongoing but complicated by the darkness. He added that the accident occurred at an unmanned railway crossing and the bus split into two. "All those killed and injured were passengers from the bus," he said, adding that an assistant train driver suffered minor injuries.
Rail accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometres of track and trains from former colonial power Britain. The railways have seen decades of decline owing to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
