Islamabad: Death toll from the horrific collision of two trains in southern Pakistan rose to 63 on June 8 after rescuers pulled 12 more bodies from crumpled cars a day after the crash, officials said.
The collision took place on a dilapidated railway track in Ghotki, a district in the southern Sindh province, when an express train barreled into another that had derailed minutes earlier, before dawn, on June 7.
Most of the passengers — there were about 1,100 on both trains — were asleep when the Millat Express, traveling between the southern port city of Karachi to Sargodha in eastern Punjab province derailed and many of its cars overturned. As passengers scrambled to get out, another passenger train, the Sir Syed Express, crashed into the derailed coaches.
Rescue work continued throughout the day on June 7, overnight, and into June 8. Bodies of passengers killed in the crash were taken to their hometowns for burial.
It was unclear exactly what caused the derailment. Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of Sir Syed Express, said he braked when he saw the disabled train but did not have time to avoid the collision.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a probe into the mishap.
