Pakistan Railway has responded to media rumours about missing railway carriages, stating these claims to be unfounded.
In their official statement, Pakistan Railway clarified that a tender was released in 2017 for 542 railway carriages. Of these, 521 carriages were allocated to the winning bidders. The remaining 21 carriages, which had unrecognizable wagon numbers, were stored in a yard. The organization emphasized that these carriages remain in the yard and can be presented to the media for verification.
Hazara Express Tragedy
It’s crucial to note that in a separate incident, the derailment of the Hazara Express near Nawabshah resulted in the tragic death of 30 individuals. Following an internal investigation into the mishap, it was discovered that missing fishplates and track damage caused the derailment. As a result, six Pakistan Railways officials two grade-18 officials, were suspended.
Details of the Accident
The heart-wrenching incident involved the Hazara Express, which was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi. During its journey, the train derailed near the Sahara Railway Station, situated between Shahzadpur and Nawabshah. This unfortunate event led to the derailment of 10 train carriages, resulting in chaos, death, and injuries to more than 100 passengers. The wounded individuals, along with the deceased, were immediately transported to People Medical University (PMU) Hospital in Nawabshah.