RAHIM YAR KHAN, May 31: Rail traffic on the main line between Karachi and various upcountry destinations was suspended when 11-up Hazara Express derailed between Sadiqabad and Rahim Yar Khan on Wednesday afternoon.

According to reports received here, the Hawalian bound express departed from Sadiqabad at 4-20pm and when it reached near Shakirkot 4km from Chandrami railway station its last two coaches derailed and ran into the ground. Two more coaches towrds the front also derailed while another was damaged due to jerk. The remaining eight coaches reached Rahim Yar Khan railway station at 6:30pm.

According to the train driver, the accident occurred due to the expanding of the track because of high temperature. A passenger said that bolts of many a sleepers were displaced and half-foot piece of the uptrack railway line was broken.

A relief train has been sent to the spot. DS railway Sukkur division Imtiaz Ahmed Khan, DEN Ghulam Haider Soomro and AEN Waseem Abbas left for the place by road but had not reached till 7pm. The Multan-bound Shah Rukn-i-Alam Express and Peshawar-bound Awam Express were allowed to pass through down track.

Passengers faced the problem of drinking water at Rahim Yar Khan railway station. A policeman said that the main reason of accident was a fault in the pressure pipe of coach No 14.

He said that 12 passengers traveling from Karachi to Khanewal were injured. They have been admitted to Sheikh Zayed Hospital.