- Stranded passengers moved to school, Circuit House for temporary stay.
- Relief trains dispatched from Multan, Samasata, rescue teams on ground.
- Down track traffic halted at Lodhran; restoration work currently underway.
A late-night derailment of the Tezgam Express near Adam Wahan, close to Lodhran, left passengers injured and rail traffic badly hit, with multiple bogies overturned and the track blocked for hours, Pakistan Railways officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the accident was caused after a coupling hook broke, splitting the express train into two parts, which caused at least four bogies, including a dining car, to derail.
The wreck also violently overturned some coaches, sparking panic inside the packed compartments as frenzied passengers scrambled to save themselves and their loved ones in the darkness.
Officials now say 25 passengers were injured in the accident.
Of them, 17 were given first aid and discharged, while eight in critical condition were shifted to DHQ hospital, according to the Lodhran Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Ashraf.
Passengers were left stranded as darkness set in and rescue work began, according to eyewitnesses, while DC Ashraf said people were moved to a nearby school for the night and more space was arranged at the Circuit House.
“Food and basic facilities were also provided,” the top city executive added.
They said the restoration operation was ongoing, with rescue teams, medical staff and machinery on site, adding that Rescue 1122 teams were also assisting in evacuations, while a relief train and trucks took part in the effort.
Officials said there was no loss of life, but train services on the down track remained suspended, with Karachi-bound trains stopped at Lodhran station.
According to officials, the train has now departed from Samasata Junction heading to Karachi, with four additional coaches attached there.
An inquiry has been ordered by the Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi to find out what caused the derailment, as authorities work to restore the track and resume operations.
A similar incident was reported earlier when the Tezgam derailed at Rohri station in March last year, with one of its bogies slipping off the track.
Railways’ teams rushed to the site and used a crane from the loco shed to place the derailed coach back on track. The incident had blocked the up-track and damaged the rails, disrupting train operations.
Several trains were delayed as a result, leaving hundreds of passengers, most of them returning to Karachi after Eid holidays, facing severe inconvenience.
The Bahauddin Zakariya Express was stopped at Begamaji station, while the Shah Hussain Express, Green Line Express and Fareed Express were held up at different stations due to the disruption.
In August 2023, a passenger train derailed in the Nawabshah district of Sindh, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 80, according to a Reuters report that cited Geo News and local officials.
Around 10 coaches of the train went off the tracks near Nawabshah, roughly 275 kilometres from Karachi, triggering one of the deadliest rail accidents in recent years.
Such incidents have remained a recurring concern, with Pakistan’s ageing rail infrastructure blamed for repeated accidents. Authorities have long been trying to secure funding to upgrade the network, including under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The 2023 crash came two years after a major train collision in Sindh in 2021 that left at least 56 people dead and more than 100 injured.
