Chenab Express collision kills 20 in North Pakistan
3 held for questioning

The Peshawar - Karachi Chenab Express collided with an unmanned locomotive late on Saturday September 18,

photo: Associated Press

1999 killing 20 people.

Local reports state that a locomotive engaged in shunting duties at Wah developed a fault. The driver and fireman got down from their engine which started to roll backwards. The diver of the engine tried to stop the engine by placing some stones on the track but failed. The runaway engine coverered a distance of some 3 kilometres and is thought to have reached a speed of more than 80 km/h when it hit the Chenab Express.

The locomotive and the first two carriages of the passenger train were severely damaged. A number of other carriages were derailed. The conductor of the train was amongst those who died. Estimates of the number of injured vary with some stating that more than 80 people were taken to local hospitals in a rescue operation that lasted about 5 hours. Most of the dead and injured were from a party of 83 Afghan Ismaili refugees being taken to Karachi for resettlement by an aid organisation.

Railway workers arrested
It is reported that the both of the crew of the runaway locomotive and the assistant stationmaster have been arrested and are to be questioned by police. Several more railway staff have been suspended from duty.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has ordered an investigation into the crash.

The Chenab Express was involved in an accident near Jungshahi earlier this year in which 3 people were killed.

Web sources

• Death toll 20; 100 injured - Station master, 2 others held for Wah accident Dawn 20 Sep 99
  
• Charges in Fatal Pakistani Accident
  Yahoo News 19 Sep 99
  
• Pakistan orders rail crash inquiry
  BBC Online 20 Sep 99