Four killed, 49 injured as Rehman Baba Express derails near Multan

Profit by Pakistan Today reported that the Rehman Baba Express, which runs between Karachi and Peshawar, ran off the rails in Multan early on Tuesday, with 14 carriages affected. The crash left four people dead and 49 hurt, and Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi confirmed the death toll. He has tasked the Federal Government Inspector of Railways with investigating the cause.

Rescue 1122 said three of those killed were women and one was a man, while 22 passengers had minor injuries and another 27 were sent for treatment. The emergency service counted 53 casualties in total, although an early railway figure had listed only 30 injured. The service received the call at 5:21 am, and about 70 workers took part in the rescue.

Train driver Rizwan Abbas said that, at close to 100 kilometres an hour, he sensed a jolt as it passed the Sher Shah station zone. Abbas said the signal had been clear, so he applied the brakes straight away, bringing the train to a stop. Minister Hanif Abbasi dismissed unverified reports of five deaths, noting that Multan's divisional superintendent had confirmed four. Traffic on the Lodhran and Jahanian sections has been fully restored, an official statement said.