Quetta – Atleast 12 people were killed and more than 100 were injured, when Jaffar Express train derailed near Bolan in mountainous area of Balochistan. Akbar Hussain Durrani, home secretary of Baluchistan said, “The accident occurred after the train’s brakes failed as it sped down the side of a mountain.”
Two MI-17 Army helicopters had also been flown from Quetta to the location to aid in the rescue operation, said the ISPR.
Sources said that the train driver, his assistant and two police personnel were among the dead.
The victims were shifted to hospitals in Quetta where an emergency has been declared at all hospitals.
Durrani said a rescue and relief operation had begun and officials had already arrived on the scene.
According to the ISPR, the Quick Reaction force of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan along with ambulances reached the site of the train accident for the rescue operations.
The railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and under-investment.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of miles of track and trains from former colonial power Britain.
In July, at least 17 people were killed when a special military train fell into a canal after a bridge partially collapsed.