The Rehman Baba Express left the rails near Sher Shah, close to Multan, early on Tuesday while travelling from Karachi to Peshawar. Casualty figures for the Multan train accident today were still unsettled. Rescue 1122, the emergency rescue service, reported four people killed and 49 injured. Kaleem Akhtar, railway spokesperson for Multan Division, said at least five had died, more than 30 were hurt, and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl was missing. He said 14 coaches had come off the tracks. Train traffic in both directions, the up and down tracks, was suspended, and services through Multan were disrupted.
Rescue at the Sher Shah site
The site has been described as Sher Shah railway station and as Sher Shah Bridge. Akhtar's account put the derailed coaches at 14. Reports say all 15 coaches left the tracks. Those accounts have not been reconciled.
Rescue 1122 received the emergency call at 5:21am. A passenger told reporters the accident happened at about 5:15am. The guard in charge said the driver felt a sudden jolt near Sher Shah and that several coaches came off the rails seconds later. The service deployed 11 ambulances, three fire vehicles and two rescue vehicles, and 70 rescuers took part. A relief train and a medical van were sent from Multan. Divisional railway officials were at the spot.
Rescue officials said 13 coaches had been cleared, with evacuation still going on in one coach. Rescue 1122 said teams had evacuated 53 passengers, and also gave a toll of 53 victims, including the dead and the injured. It is not clear whether those two uses of 53 describe the same group. An emergency was declared at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, and the injured were taken there. Rescue 1122 said nearly 1,000 passengers were on the train. Initial reports said most were from Karachi.
Deaths, the inquiry and the closed line
Farooq Ahmad, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson, said 22 injured passengers had minor injuries and 27 had been shifted for treatment. Added together, those two groups equal the service's figure of 49 injured. The four dead in that count were three women and one man. A Pakistan Railways information officer had earlier put the injured at 30. Akhtar said four bodies had been taken to Nishtar Hospital, and that human remains on the track led officials to report a fifth death at first. With rescue still under way, the toll was not final.
Investigators have not said what caused the Multan train accident today. A passenger claimed that nuts and bolts on coach number nine had been repaired near Rohri before the derailment. That claim has not been independently verified, and no official has linked the repair to the accident. An inquiry committee has been formed. The railways minister ordered an investigation and said compensation would be paid for the passengers who died and for those who were injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and expressed concern for the injured. He told the authorities to speed up the rescue and to arrange treatment without delay.
Pakistan Railways was expected to share more as the operation continued. No time has been given for either track to reopen. The latest from the coaches is in this rescue update.
In August 2023, the Hazara Express derailed near Nawabshah in Sindh, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 100. That was a separate crash and does not explain Tuesday's derailment.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Tuesday, about 5:15am: A passenger said the Rehman Baba Express, bound from Karachi to Peshawar, derailed near Sher Shah.
- Tuesday, 5:21am: Rescue 1122 took the emergency call and sent ambulances, fire vehicles and rescue vehicles.
- Tuesday morning: Crews cleared 13 coaches and were still evacuating one more. The injured were taken to Nishtar Hospital.
- Tuesday: The railways minister ordered an inquiry and said compensation would be paid. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked officials to hurry the rescue and medical care.
- Tuesday: Trains in both directions through Multan stayed suspended. A one-and-a-half-year-old girl was still missing, the Multan Division spokesperson said.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Rehman Baba Express Mangal ki subah Multan ke qareeb Sher Shah par patari se utar gayi. Kam az kam char musafir jaan se gaye aur kai zakhmi Nishtar Hospital le jaye gaye. Ek dedh saal ki bachi abhi tak nahi mili, aur bachao kaam jaari hai. Dono taraf ki train band hai, is liye is raste par safar karne walon ko der ka samna hai.
