February 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 2, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 19: Railways authorities failed to provide information about the safety of blast-hit Samjhota Express’ passengers to their relatives who had arrived at the railways station to receive them on Monday.

The train was hit by a blast that left dozens of the people dead and many injured in Panipat in India.

Even though, an information desk was set up at the railway station, but it failed to provide updates on casualities and injured people.

Initially, the railway officials displayed a list of 13 injured passengers who were admitted to a Delhi hospital in India and later displayed another list of 52 passengers who were unhurt.

“I was travelling to Lahore in Awam Express to receive my father Safarmal when I received a phone call about the blast in Samjhota Express at 7:30am,” said Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Naseerabad in Larkana.

He said his father, who had gone to Kulapur and Glasspur on a private visit, informed him from Delhi that he was returning by Samjhota Express.

“When I reached the station and asked the officials about my father’s safety they did not know anything,” Kumar added.

Another visitor, Syed Umair from Karachi, said he had to receive his mother Sanjida Ishrat Bano who had gone to Patna to see her relatives.

“I received a phone call from India about the blast during my journey towards Lahore at 9:30am,” he said.