VIDEO: Women among 20 dead as train hits bus carrying Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan
Residents gather around the wreckage of a bus alongside a railway track following the accident in Sheikhupura on Friday. AFP
A passenger train crashed into a bus carrying Sikh pilgrims at an unmanned railway crossing in eastern Pakistan on Friday, killing 20 people, including seven women, officials said. At least eight pilgrims were injured.
The accident happened in the district of Sheikhupura in Punjab province, according to Raja Ijaz, an official at the state-run emergency service.
The Sikh pilgrims were from the northwestern city of Peshawar and were returning home from a visit to the shrine of Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura.
Sheikhupura District Police Officer (DPO) Ghazi Salahuddin said the dead and injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
Pakistan's President Arif Ali and Prime Minister Imran Khan issued statements expressing their sorrow and ordering local authorities provide the best possible treatment for the injured.
Imran regretted the train accident, according to a tweet by his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). He expressed grief at the loss of lives and directed authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of 20 Sikh pilgrims in an accident near Lahore.
"Pained by the tragic demise of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan. My thoughts are with their families and friends in this hour of grief," he tweeted.
Modi said that he will pray that those injured recover at the earliest.
Officials from both Railways and Rescue 1122 arrived at the scene and provided the first aid to the injured, a railways ministry statement said. All divisional officials have also been directed to reach the crash site.
The accident occurred at a crossing near Sheikhupura that was unmanned. Later, the divisional engineer was suspended by the ministry, the statement said.
The Sheikhupura DPO told reporters that 25-26 people were travelling in the coach, out of whom 20 had been killed in the accident. The victims include women and children as well.
According to him, the passengers in the coaster were Sikh Yatrees who were returning from Nankana Sahib — where they had gone to visit relatives — to Peshawar. He added that there were two more coaches that took a different route and are safely on their way.
As opposed to the initial reports that suggested that the crossing was unmanned, the DPO said that the gate was closed. He said that it seemed like the driver had tried to take a shortcut instead of waiting at the crossing, which resulted in the crash. He added that facts will only be clear after an investigation.
Asghar Joya, a government official in Sheikhupura, said an initial assessment indicated the bus driver tried to cross the railway tracks as the train neared but the bus skidded and got stuck. He said, however, that officials were still investigating.
TV footage showed the train and the badly destroyed bus on the railway tracks.
Sheikhupura resident Dilbir Singh said the pilgrims, after visiting the shrine and before leaving for Peshawar, had also visited the home of a relative whose family member had recently died.
Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid ordered authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident.
