Sukkur rail disaster
Details
Date4 January 1990
LocationSukkur
CountryPakistan
LineMultan to Karachi
OperatorPakistan Railways
Incident typeCollision
CauseIncorrectly set points
Statistics
Trains2
Deaths307
Injured700

The Sukkur rail disaster occurred on 4 January 1990 in the village of Sangi near Sukkur in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. 307 people were killed, making it Pakistan's worst rail disaster.[1]

The train concerned (Bahauddin Zakaria Express) was on an 800-kilometre (500 mi) overnight run from Multan to Karachi and was carrying many more passengers in its 16 carriages than its 1408-seat capacity. It was supposed to pass straight through the village of Sangi but incorrectly set rail points sent it into a siding where it collided with an empty 67-car freight train at a speed of at least 55 kilometres per hour (35 mph). The first three carriages were destroyed and the next two badly damaged; 307 people were killed and 700 injured.

The investigation found railway staff to be 'directly responsible' for the disaster. Three staff on duty at Sangi station were charged with manslaughter.[2]

Sources

References

  1. ^ "Chronology of world train disasters". 2 August 1999.
  2. ^ "Top Orlando News, Weather, Sports, Entertainment".