KARACHI: A train in Pakistan smashed into derailed carriages of another train on Monday, killing at least 51 people and injuring nearly 100, with rescue work underway to evacuate survivors trapped in the debris, officials said. 
According to railway officials, about 1,100 passengers were on board the trains when the collision occurred near Ghotki town, about 420 km north of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and capital of the Sindh province.
“At least 51 dead bodies have been recovered, but the death toll is expected to rise as some people are feared to be under the collapsed bogies,” Umar Tufail, Senior Superintendent of Police, told Arab News. 
The trains’ drivers and crew are reportedly safe. However, Tufail said 25 passengers had been moved to a hospital and were in a “very critical condition,” while television footage showed several rescuers using cranes and other equipment to try and reach those trapped inside the wreckage.
“We have seen more dead bodies [while] clearing the last train bogie, so the death toll may increase,” Tufail said.
According to Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Sukkur Hameedullah Lashari, the collision occurred before dawn after the Sir Syed Express train, traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi, crashed into the Sargodha-bound Millat Express Train. 
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused Millat’s derailment and the subsequent crash. However, Lashari said a probe would be launched into the incident once rescue work was completed. 
“Our first priority is rescue work, after which the matter will be investigated, and an inquiry report will be issued within 24 hours,” he told Arab News. 
The driver of the Sir Syed Express train said he had applied the brakes after seeing the bogies but failed to stop the train in time, according to media reports. 
Meanwhile, Tariq Asad, a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways, said the collision occurred despite a “quick alert system” in place to halt traffic in such cases. 
“Unluckily, it happened in a matter of a few seconds. The Millat Express Train going upcountry derailed, and its bogies fell across the down track, some 30 seconds before Sir Syed Express arrived and hit the bogies,” Asad added. 
Several Rangers and Pakistan army troops were assisting rescue workers, with military doctors and paramedics deployed at the site of the inciden, according to a statement by the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing. 
“Two helicopters are being flown from Multan for casualties’ evacuation and speedy relief measures,” it added. 
Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident, directing Railways Minister Azam Swati to oversee the rescue work, before ordering a probe into the crash. 
“Shocked by the horrific train accident at Ghotki early this morning leaving 30 passengers dead,” Khan said in a Twitter post. “Have asked Railway Minister to reach the site and ensure medical assistance to the injured and support for families of the dead. Ordering a comprehensive investigation into railway safety fault lines.”
After the incident, opposition party leader and former railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq demanded the resignation of railway minister Azam Swati. 
In the address to the national assembly, information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, rejected Rafiq’s demand, saying such accidents occurred because the previous government of which Rafiq was a part had not upgraded railways infrastructure.
Pakistan has a fragile railways network with hundreds of lives lost in collisions and due to accidents at unmanned railway crossings. 
Nearly 74 people were killed, most of them burnt alive, when three coaches of a Rawalpindi-bound train caught fire near Rahim Yar Khan in October 2019 in one of the worst train accidents reported. 
In February last year, 19 people were killed in Sindh’s Rohri area after a passenger train hit a bus, while 20 Sikh pilgrims died in a train crash near the Sheikhupura city in Punjab province in July.