At least 16 people have lost their lives and dozens more sustained injuries in the collision of two trains in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the second such incident in the country in less than two months.
The collision occurred near Karachi’s Landi railway station on Thursday when one of the trains from the central city of Multan crashed into the back end of another one from Lahore.
Medical sources said at least 50 people had been injured in the accident, with some of them being in critical condition.
Senior administration officials in Karachi said the number of casualties could rise as there were up to 1,000 passengers on board both trains when the accident happened.
All train traffic between Karachi and the rest of the country has been suspended and rescue teams are trying to free people trapped in the wreckage of the trains.
In September, at least four people were killed and nearly one hundred others injured when an express train collided with a freight train in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where tracks and bridges are often poorly maintained and railways have fallen into disrepair due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
In a horrific accident in July 2005, nearly 130 people lost their lives when a train rammed into another and a third train hit the wreckage at a station in Sindh Province, where Karachi is located.
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