- Title: PAKISTAN-TRAIN/RESCUE Rescue underway after Pakistan train plunges into canal
- Date: 2nd July 2015
- Summary: GUJRANWALA, PAKISTAN (JULY 2, 2015) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAIN CARRIAGES LYING IN WATER AS RESCUE OPERATION GETS UNDERWAY ARMY PERSONNEL ARRIVING IN SPEED BOAT DIVERS IN BOAT SEARCHING FOR BODIES RESCUE WORKERS LOOKING INSIDE DERAILED CARRIAGE WATER FLOWING COLLAPSED PART OF BRIDGE CRANE AND POLICE CARS SOLDIER STANDING BY SIGN READING (Urdu): "No watchman
- Embargoed: 17th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Pakistan
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6XFZ12H02THF8B9UDVR4OW3A3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
A rescue operation was in progress after a train carrying hundreds of Pakistan's military personnel and their families plunged into a canal on Thursday (July 2), killing 12 soldiers.
The accident happened after a bridge collapsed in what the government suspects was sabotage, officials said.
The crash in Pakistan's Gujranwala district, in the northeast, happened as an army unit was being transported from southern Sindh province to northern Pakistan.
Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique told Reuters there were around 300 passengers on board. He said it was too early to say what caused the accident.
"We cannot say anything with certainty at the moment. The first task is recovering any bodies. We have retrieved some freight, which includes some luggage that we have to move from here. Some of our rolling stock, as you can see, has sunk; the other is with the derailed carriages. To retrieve that luggage, some cranes have arrived; some are yet to arrive. We will start using them in a while," Rafique told reporters gathered at the site of the derailment.
The military's media wing confirmed that four carriages fell into the canal. It said the commander of one unit was among the casualties. More than 50 people were rescued, a military official said.
Television images of the scene showed several carriages partly submerged in the canal. The army said eight bodies had been pulled out of the water.
Rafique told Geo TV that six people were missing and the cause of the crash was unknown.
"I have directed my engineers to submit a preliminary report tonight. The detailed report, determining the cause of the accident, will come within 72 hours," he said.
He hinted that it seemed something had caused the bridge to collapse.
"This is unprecedented. This usually happens as a result of a blast, or when the fish plates are pulled out, or when the nuts and bolts blots are loosened. Engineers of Pakistan railway will examine all aspects and security agencies will review it," Rafique said.
An official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that they suspected that this was an act of sabotage and the planks on the rail were tampered with.
The collapse raises concerns about the safety of infrastructure in Pakistan. Several TV channels reported that the bridge had been marked as "extremely dangerous".
But Rafique brushed aside rumours that the bridge was too old and collapsed under the weight of the train. He explained that bridges are checked four times in a year and that the bridge in question was checked in January and was found to be without fault.
The military is fighting a Taliban insurgency in several regions of the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan in the northwest. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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