CCTV News: On the morning of June 7, a train derailed in the Kodji area of Sindh Province, Pakistan. Multiple carriages overturned on the opposite track. Shortly after, another train hit the derailed car. According to railway officials, there were more than 1,000 passengers on the two trains. The accident caused 14 carriages to derail, of which 6 to 8 were seriously damaged. Earlier, dozens of people had been found dead during search and rescue operations.
The death toll rose to 65 and the search and rescue work ended
In the early morning of the 8th local time, reporters once again visited the scene of the accident where two passenger trains collided in Sindh Province, Pakistan. As of the afternoon of the 8th local time, the death toll from the accident had risen to 65, and 98 injured were receiving treatment in the hospital. At present, the search and rescue work has ended.
Headquarters reporter Cui Ru: Now we can see the situation at the scene more clearly. To my left is the railway track where the accident occurred. The main work today (8th) is to repair the railway track. I heard that there are people at the scene More than 30 workers are carrying out restoration work.
The local railway department engineer also introduced the situation at the scene when the accident occurred.
Pakistan Railways Engineer Jahan Zaib: That was a train bound for Lahore on our (daily departure) 17 upline. It derailed and occupied the opposite track, so it went down within a few minutes. The train also arrived, and it collided with the derailed train occupying the road, and the two trains collided. You can see that the locomotive was damaged, multiple air-conditioning power systems were damaged, and the carriages were derailed. We started working here yesterday (7th) morning.
At noon that day, the Pakistan Armed Forces Public Relations Department announced that the search and rescue operation had been completed. The entire operation took 29 hours.
Why were the casualties so serious in the accident?
As of the afternoon of the 8th, the accident had killed more than 60 people. More than 90 people were injured. There are no reports of casualties among Chinese citizens. Why did this accident cause such serious casualties?
First of all, this collision accident is quite special. The first train derailed first, and multiple carriages overturned on the opposite track. Many passengers escaped from the carriage and gathered around the overturned carriage. Soon, another train hit. The gathered crowd had no time to hide, resulting in serious casualties.
Second, there are many passengers. The railway line where the accident occurred is called the Peshawar-Karachi Railway. It is the only north-south railway in Pakistan. The fare of this railway line is half that of the road bus, so it has become the busiest line in the country.
Thirdly, the accident occurred in a place called Reti Town in Sindh Province at the southern end of the line, which is a rural area far away from the city. The area where the trains collided was surrounded by large tracts of farmland. The location is relatively remote, which also brings considerable difficulties to the rescue.
The black box has been found. Preliminary report: The rail is broken.
Main station reporter Cui Ru: The latest news is that the relevant departments have just found the train black box and have not yet interpreted it. According to the preliminary report of the accident investigation team, it is a connection somewhere on the right side of the railway track. Something went wrong, causing the train to derail. This railway in Pakistan was built in 1861 with a total length of 7,791 kilometers. Because of its age, railway accidents occur frequently. According to local media, a railway system employee once wrote a research report, reporting that several sections of the Southern Railway had hidden dangers and needed to be focused on inspection and maintenance. One of the sections marked was June 7 The accident section, but it was a pity that it was not taken seriously at the time.
The first person to organize rescue operations when he saw the derailed train was a local farmer who was watering his fields. When he saw the train derailed, he tried to contact the station on his mobile phone, but was unable to. Then I wanted to take my motorcycle to rescue people, but the train from the opposite direction suddenly came. So, they started giving first aid, providing water, and bringing a lot of people there. There was a lot of screaming here and everyone was screaming and trying their best to help and calling friends to help.
After the accident, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered a comprehensive investigation to find out the hidden dangers in the railway safety system.
Source: CCTV.com
