Four officers among 12 killed in Pakistan army train accident

Minister says the possibility of terrorist attack behind the attack cannot be ruled out as there was no apparent fault in the train or the bridge.

Islamabad -At least 12 people, including four officers, were killed, over 100 others injured and at least four reported missing when four coaches of an army train fell into a canal while crossing a bridge in Pakistan's eastern city of Gujranwala on Thursday afternoon, media and officials said.

Dawn News said the bridge collapsed while the army special train was crossing it in Janki Chatta area of Gujranwala, a district located in the country's Punjab province.

The army special train had 21 cargo wagons and six passenger coaches, of which four fell into the canal when the bridge collapsed.

According to Dawn, among those killed were Pakistan Army Engineering Battalion unit commander Lt. Col Amir Jadoon, his wife and two children, Lt. Col Rashid, Major Adil, Lieutenant Kashif and Lance Naik Zafar.

Media reports said the special train was on its way from Kharian Cantonment in Punjab to Pano Aqil city in Sindh province when the accident happened.

Those travelling in three coaches were rescued while the fourth bogey could not be reached immediately as it was lying deep in the canal water, Xinhua news agency reported.

The report said some 20 to 30 people, including soldiers and their families, were trapped in the submerged bogey.

Army divers were trying to reach the trapped people by cutting the roof of the coach.

Meanwhile, the irrigation department blocked the flow of the canal water. But it would take about three hours for the water in the canal to subside, after which the rescue operation will be speeded up, officials said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the mouthpiece of the Pakistani army, confirmed that five people were killed and another four were missing in the accident.

The ISPR said the train was carrying army men and their families, and rescue teams were striving hard to pull out the people trapped in the coaches in the canal.

The injured passengers were shifted to a military hospital in Gujranwala city.

The Pakistan army has taken full control of the rescue work and four helicopters and a crane were deployed in the operation.

Railway Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique said the possibility of a terrorist attack behind the accident cannot be ruled out as there was no apparent fault either with the train or the bridge.

He said another passenger train crossed the bridge in the morning and at that time it was intact and fully functional.

The minister said he has formed an inquiry committee to probe the incident, and added that he was on his way to the accident site to monitor the rescue work.

Regional police officer Faisal Shahkar said they did not find any explosive materials at the accident site.

According to him, the collapsed bridge was a hundred years old and was in a dilapidated condition.

A relief train carrying medical staff and technical staff left Lahore to the accident site.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed concern over the mishap and directed the officials of the Pakistan Railways to rush to the site to render all help.

He also directed the officials to repair the track in the quickest possible way to restore railway traffic.

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