At least five people have died and dozens more have been injured after a passenger train derailed early Tuesday morning, October 13.
The 14-car train was traveling from Karachi to Peshawar when it derailed at around 5:30 a.m. local time. Emergency responders reached the scene and recovered four bodies, while 35 injured passengers were evacuated for medical care. One additional passenger died before reaching a local hospital.
Footage shared by local media showed the derailed train cars positioned unevenly across the tracks as passengers made their way toward waiting vehicles, carrying their belongings. The incident left emergency teams working to assist those affected.
Pakistan Railways, the state-owned operator, said an investigation was underway. A spokesperson stated that the cause of the derailment could not be determined until the investigation was completed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the victims and called on authorities to ensure that injured passengers received medical assistance as quickly as possible.
The derailment has renewed attention on railway safety, following another major train accident in Pakistan in 2023 that killed 30 people and injured more than 90 others. Investigators have yet to establish what caused Tuesday’s incident.