Sukkur rail disaster explained

Sukkur rail disaster
Date:4 January 1990
Location:Sukkur
Country:Pakistan
Line:Multan to Karachi
Operator:Pakistan Railways
Type:Collision
Cause:Incorrectly set points
Trains:2
Deaths:307
Injuries:700

The Sukkur rail disaster occurred on 4 January 1990 in the village of Sangi, near Sukkur in Sindh, Pakistan, claiming 307 lives. This makes it the deadliest rail accident in the country's history.[1]

The Bahauddin Zakaria Express, on an 500adj=onNaNadj=on overnight journey from Multan to Karachi, was significantly over capacity with far more passengers than its 1,408-seat limit. The train was meant to pass through Sangi, but misaligned rail points diverted it into a siding where it collided with a stationary 67-car freight train at a speed of at least 35order=flipNaNorder=flip. The collision destroyed the first three carriages and severely damaged two others, resulting in 700 injuries alongside the fatalities.

An investigation held railway staff directly responsible for the disaster, leading to manslaughter charges against three employees on duty at Sangi station.[2]

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chronology of world train disasters . 2 August 1999.
  2. Web site: Top Orlando News, Weather, Sports, Entertainment. https://web.archive.org/web/20120406100953/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-08-30/news/9008301017_1_sangi-crash-passenger-train. dead. 6 April 2012.