At least five people were killed and around 30 injured when the Rehman Baba Express derailed near Multan in the early hours of Tuesday, in one of Pakistan’s worst rail accidents in recent years.
The 47-Up service, travelling from Karachi to Peshawar, came off the tracks at around 5:15am near the Sher Shah Bridge, close to the outer signal of Sher Shah Railway Station on the outskirts of Multan. Railway officials said all 14 to 15 coaches of the train left the rails.
Rescue 1122 teams reached the site within minutes and began cutting through the wreckage to free trapped passengers. By morning, officials confirmed that 13 coaches had been cleared, with work continuing inside the one remaining coach. Several of the injured were described as being in a critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could climb further.
The injured were shifted to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, where an emergency was declared and additional medical staff were called in.
One passenger told reporters that nuts and bolts on coach number nine had been repaired near Rohri before the train departed — a claim that has not been independently verified, and whose connection to the derailment remains unclear. Railway authorities said the cause of the crash had not yet been officially established.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the accident and directed the authorities to speed up rescue operations and ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.
The derailment badly disrupted rail traffic, with services on the busy Karachi–Peshawar route suspended.
Pakistan has a grim history of rail disasters. In August 2023, the Hazara Express derailed near Nawabshah, killing 30 people and injuring more than 100.
