Railway workers use cranes to remove wreckage to clear the tracks at the site of a train collision in the Ghotki district, southern Pakistan, June 8, 2021. (FAREED KHAN / AP)
ISLAMABAD – The death toll from the collision between two trains in Pakistan's southern Sindh province early Monday morning has risen to 62, a government official said on Tuesday.
The death toll rose after rescue teams pulled out more bodies from the damaged compartments of the trains, Commissioner of Sukkur Shafiq Ahmed Mahesar told Xinhua.
Of the 100 who were injured in the accident, at least 15 of them are in critical condition, Commissioner of Sukkur Shafiq Ahmed Mahesar said
He said more than 100 people sustained injuries in the accident and were being treated at various hospitals of Pano Aqil, Ghotki and Mirpur Mathelo in the province, adding that the condition of at least 15 people was critical.
ALSO READ: Pakistani train smashes into derailed carriages, 36 killed
According to spokesperson of the Pakistan Railways Nazia Jabeen, the accident occurred when the Sir Syed Express train coming from the eastern Rawalpindi district collided with several compartments of the Millat Express train, that was already present at the track that the Sir Syed Express train was traveling on after the derailment in the Ghotki district of Sindh.
At least 13 compartments of the two trains were derailed and overturned, and seven to eight were completely destroyed in the accident, sources from the Pakistan Railways told Xinhua.
READ MORE: Fire on moving train kills 71 passengers in central Pakistan
Police sources in the area told Xinhua that special teams are still in the process of investigating the exact cause of the accident, however, they believe that multiple problems in the railway track and signal systems are possibly behind the accident.
Meanwhile, the authorities have also cleared the railway track and train service which was halted since early Monday morning resumed operations.