Karachi : In a tragic incident that unfolded on Sunday, August 6, the death toll resulting from the Hazara Express derailment in southern Pakistan has surged to 30, leaving over 80 individuals wounded.

As conveyed by a railway official to HUM News, the Hazara Express was en route from Karachi to Abbottabad when eight of its coaches experienced derailment around 1:18 pm. The unfortunate incident transpired close to the Sahara railway station situated in the city of Nawabshah within the southern province of Sindh. Those injured in the mishap were transported to the People's Medical Hospital in Nawabshah, with concerns of additional injuries emerging. Currently, the root cause of this derailment remains unidentified.

According to insights provided by provincial railway official Ijaz Shah in conversation with the news agency AFP, a relief train has been promptly dispatched to the accident site. Meanwhile, local media outlets have reported the presence of numerous individuals at the site, some of whom were seen breaking windows to aid passengers in escaping from the twisted carriages.

In a report by Geo News, railway authorities have indicated that the process of restoring operations could take up to 18 hours, and the recovery of the tracks is anticipated to be time-consuming due to the necessity of removing the derailed bogies.

It is disheartening to note that this catastrophe follows closely after another incident, wherein three coaches of the Allama Iqbal Express derailed on the previous day. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the Saturday mishap.

Tragic accidents involving Pakistan's rail system are regrettably not uncommon, and for a substantial duration, various administrations have been striving to secure funding for the enhancement of the rail network, as part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative aimed at fostering infrastructure development projects.