Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi ordered a full inquiry into the Rehman Baba Express derailment after visiting the site in Multan on Tuesday. He told APP that four people, a minor girl among them, were killed and around 30 were hurt, one of them critically ill. He told Dawn he confirms four deaths and cannot confirm a fifth, because the Multan divisional superintendent reported four. Pakistan Railways lists 41 injured, 38 of them at Nishtar. Spokesperson Babar Ali had earlier told Dawn that five were killed.
Abbasi spoke to reporters in Multan after he had been to the site. Investigators, he said, would go through every part of the crash, and anyone found to have caused it would be dealt with under the law. He said the victims would also receive financial help. He gave no amount.
In a statement the same day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the bogies, the passenger coaches, of the Rahman Baba Express coming off the rails in Multan. He expressed sympathy for the passengers who were injured and directed the authorities to give them immediate medical care of the best standard possible. He also told those authorities to speed up rescue and relief and to make sure every possible medical help reached the people affected.
What the minister reported
Speaking after he reached the scene of the Multan train accident, Abbasi said Shehbaz Sharif had called him soon after hearing the news and had voiced deep worry. The minister said he left for Multan as soon as he himself was informed. He described the dead as lives no amount of money could restore, and said that when a family loses its own, the grief cannot be repaired.
He said there was no reason for an accident like this to take place. Abbasi said the prime minister had told the authorities to investigate and to move against whoever was responsible. The inquiry, the minister added, would pin down the causes, and action would follow that finding. No cause has been made public.
Rescue and work on the trains
Abbasi praised the district administration, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Army personnel and rescue workers, saying each had taken an active role in the relief. He said the railway was already improving its tracks, the maintenance of trains and the mechanical system. Long-distance trains, he said, were being given special attention so passengers would have safer travel and better facilities.
Work on the coaches was also going ahead, he said. The aim, as he described it, was to bring in coaches with stronger parts so they would be less badly damaged in a crash. He said those efforts to improve the railway would continue.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 13 October: Bogies of the Rahman Baba Express derailed in Multan, injuring passengers.
- 13 October: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice, sympathised with the injured, and directed immediate, best-available medical care plus faster rescue and relief.
- 13 October: The prime minister telephoned Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi and expressed deep concern. Abbasi left for Multan.
- 13 October: After the visit, Abbasi told APP four people, including a minor girl, had been killed and around 30 injured, one of them critically. He told Dawn he confirms four deaths and cannot confirm a fifth. Pakistan Railways lists 41 injured. Babar Ali had earlier said five were killed. He ordered a full inquiry and said the victims would receive financial help.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Multan mein Rehman Baba Express ke bogies patri se utar gaye. Abbasi ne APP ko bataya ke chaar log, jin mein aik chhoti bachi bhi hai, jaan se gaye aur qareeb 30 zakhmi hue, ek ki halat sanjeeda hai. Dawn ko unhon ne chaar mauton ki tasdeeq ki aur paanchvin ki tasdeeq nahi ki. Pakistan Railways ki list mein 41 zakhmi hain. Tarjuman Babar Ali ne pehle paanch halakatein batayi theen. Wazir ne poori tehqiqat ka elaan kiya hai.
