Train derails in Pakistan: nearly 100 injured, death toll mounts to 30

At least 30 people were killed and nearly 100 others injured on Sunday when several compartments of an express train derailed in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, in the latest rail disaster to hit the country.

The Hazara Express train travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi derailed in Nawabshah district near the Sarhari Railway Station, 275 kilometers from the provincial capital Karachi.

Commissioner Benazirabad division Abbas Baloch said in a statement that at least 30 people died in the accident while passengers are still stranded in a bogie.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who spoke to the media at People’s Medical College Hospital in Benazirabad — the district home to Nawabshah, confirmed the death toll, the Dawn newspaper reported.

He added that the injured could be shifted to Karachi if needed and directed the local administration and health officials to expedite relief and rescue efforts.

Federal Railways Minister Saad Rafiq earlier told the media that the number of casualties could rise as some of the injured were in critical after being hospitalised.

He said around 10 bogies had derailed and the cause of the accident is being investigated.