18 Dead in Train, Bus Collision in Pakistan

At least 18 people were killed and scores more wounded when a passenger train rammed into a bus in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan on Friday, officials said.

The incident took place in the district of Sukkur, where the incoming Pakistan Express — on its way from Karachi to Lahore — hit the bus heading to Sargodha in the central province of Punjab.

"At least 18 people have been killed and 55 wounded," Rana Adeel, a deputy commissioner in Sukkur, told AFP, warning that the death toll could rise as some of those hurt were in critical condition.

Senior railway official Tariq Kolachi, who was at the scene, confirmed the updated toll to AFP and said the rescue operation was ongoing but initially complicated by the darkness.

Kolachi said the accident happened at an automated railway crossing, and because of the impact of the collision, the bus split in two.

"All those killed and injured were passengers from the coach," he said, adding that an assistant train driver sustained minor injuries.

Rail accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometers (miles) of track and trains from former colonial power Britain.

The railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement, and lack of investment.

Source: AFP