SHEIKHUPURA: At least 14 people, including two children, were killed on Saturday when a train collided with a packed motorcycle rickshaw at a railway crossing in Sheikupura district.

“The accident occurred in Khanpur town of district Sheikhupura, around 40 kilometres northwest of Lahore,” said Salim Niazi, a local police official.

According to rescue officials, the train was on its way to Lahore when the rickshaw driver attempted to cross it from an unmanned level crossing near Khanpur.

Police said the motorcycle rickshaw was crammed with 16 people and drove onto the train track moments before the Lahore bound train passed through, smashing into it.

“Twelve people died on the spot. Four people with critical injuries were taken to hospital, of whom two expired,” said Muhammad Asim, a senior doctor at the local hospital.

“Two of them were children under 12 years old,” he said adding that many bodies were mutilated and unable to be identified.

The crossing was reported to have no barriers. “There was no gate at this crossing, (nor) a man to stop the traffic to clear way for the train,” said Niazi.