July 13, 2019
The Rahimyar Khan incident is just the latest in a long line of deadly train crashes and accidents in Pakistan. Till now 65 people have been reported dead and over 30 injured, after a gas canister, passengers snuck into the train, exploded.
The country’s railway safety record has been atrocious this past year. Here are all the major train accidents to take place since the 2018 election:
September 16, 2018: Nine bogies of the Peshawar-bound Khushal Khan Khattak Express from Karachi derailed near Attock. 20 passengers were injured.
September 27, 2018: Another Peshawar-bound train derailed in which 11 bogies overturned in Sehwan, Sindh.
June 9, 2019: Twenty-three bogies of a Karachi-bound freight train derailed in Sukkur.
December 18, 2018: 12 children were injured as a passenger train crashed into a school van near Narowal, Punjab. Local witnesses said the accident happened due to dense fog and because the gate at the crossing was left open.
June 20, 2019: Three people were killed when a passenger train collided with a stationary cargo train at Makli Shah, near Hyderabad.
July 11, 2019: A Quetta-bound train collided with a cargo train near Sadiqabad in Punjab, killing 24 people and injuring over a 100. The accident was later found to be caused by a delay in switching the train tracks.
October 31, 2019: Fire engulfed a train near Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, killing 65 people after a gas canister used to cook in the train, by passengers, exploded.