The Ghotki train accident took place after a track’s welding joint broke, causing the Millat Express train to crash onto a down track, says an initial investigation report into the crash.
The accident took place when the welding joint of the up track’s right side broke, causing 12 coaches of the Millat Express to crash onto a down track. The Karachi-bound Sir Syed Express, as a result, collided with Millat Express’ coaches on the down track, causing the accident. The engine of Sir Syed Express and four coaches derailed as a result of the accident, said the report, adding that experts were retrieving data from the black boxes of both train engines.
The report stated that the data obtained from the black boxes will be included in the investigation report of the Federal Inspectors of Railways. Six coaches and the engine of Millat Express did not derail, said the report, adding that 12 passenger coaches of Sir Syed Express also did not derail from the collision.
Sir Syed Express was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi, stated the report, adding that Millat Express, on the other hand, was heading towards Sargodha from Karachi.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the Ghotki train tragedy rose to 65 on Tuesday after rescuers pulled more bodies from a mangled bogie found crushed underneath an engine a day after the crash, Ghotki SSP Umer Tufail said.
He said around 10 to 12 of the bodies retrieved on Tuesday were of persons who were travelling with a wedding party. Over 100 persons injured in the accident were under treatment at different hospitals and many of them were in critical condition, fearing that the death toll may rise further.
The accident had taken place between the Raiti and Daharki railway stations where eight carriages of the Millat Express derailed just before the Sir Syed Express rammed into them in the early hours of Monday. Most of the deceased were residents of Karachi, Lodhran, Rawalpindi and Vehari.
A little over a day after the accident, the track was restored for train service. DS Sukkur Tariq Latif said the rescue operation had been completed after the government cleared the track, retrieving the 17 coaches that had been affected by the crash and the train’s engine.
