BAHAWALPUR, Feb 4: Six children playing on the railway track near the local railway station were crushed to death by the Lahore-bound Karachi Express on Sunday morning.

Villagers and police said that seven children, aged between five and 10 years from the nearby Gharibabad slum, were playing on the main track, about a kilometre away from their homes, on their day-off from school.

Fayyaz, 10, the sole survivor and witness to the accident, said they were strolling along the track when a goods train bound for Karachi passed by them. As the last carriage of the train passed, his friends rushed to cross the railway track unmindful of the 15-Up Karachi Express which was coming at full speed at the upcountry track.

He said that his friends -- Zahid (10), Zafar (10), Umar Farooq (7), Muhammed Asif (9), Shan (8) and Ambar Masih (5) – died on the spot from head injuries caused by the accident. The train immediately came to a halt and a large number of people gathered at the place. Teams of the Pakistan Railways and police rushed to the place and bodies were handed over to their relatives. All the boys belonged to families of poor workers.

Maqsood Masih, the uncle of Ambar Masih, said that playing near the railway track and watching coming and going trains was the only pastime for children on their day off from school.

Five of the boys were buried in the evening amid moving scenes. The body of Ambar was taken to a local church.