A train in Lodhran crashed into a motorised rickshaw on Friday, killing eight children and the rickshaw driver who were on their way to school, railway authorities said.
Seven others also sustained injuries in the deadly crash. It was the country’s third deadly train crash in four months.
The children killed in the crash, in the south of Punjab province, were aged six to 10, District Police Officer Lodhran Asad Sarfraz said. He added that the gate at the crossing was open at the time of the accident, meaning traffic on the road could cross the railway tracks. the gatekeeper closed the level-crossing when a freight train crossed. Later, he opened the gate without assessing the arrival of the train that hit the motorcycle rickshaw.
The dead included Mushtaq, Sajjad, Maryum, Zahid, Rizwan, Danish, Fahad and Rickshaw driver Samiullah. Danish and Rizwan are brothers while Fahad and Maryum are siblings. Seven students who suffered injuries in the accident are Yusuf, Saqlain, Arslan, Mushtaq, Aslam, Riaz and Zahid.
Police have arrested the level-crossing gatekeeper and the train driver.
Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told reporters the weather might have been factor. “We have to investigate whether it’s negligence or if it happened due to heavy fog,” Rafique said.
In September last year, at least four people were killed and 93 injured when an express train crashed into a freight train near Multan
On November 3, 20 people were killed and dozens were injured when a train crashed into stationary coaches in the port city of Karachi.
One person was killed and 30 students injured when an International Islamic University bus collided with a motorcycle before it crashed into an electricity pole near Islamabad’s G-11 area in November.
The deceased, reportedly identified as a university student, was trampled to death after the driver of the International Islamic University bus lost control of the vehicle. The bus also crashed into an electricity pole, injuring at least 30 students on board.
