BAHAWALPUR: A woman and her toddler were crushed to death under an express train at Kalanchnwala railway station on Karachi-Lahore main track near Mubarakpur, about 30kms from here, on Wednesday.

Imran Ahmed of the emergency service Rescue 1122, quoting eyewitnesses, said the woman later identified as Khaleda (26), wife of one Zafar, along with her two-year-old son Waqas, was crossing the railway track near Kalanchwala railway station when they were hit by fast-moving Green Line Express train bound for Islamabad from Karachi.

As a result, both mother and son were killed on the spot.

On receipt of an emergency call, a Rescue 1122 team reached the scene and shifted the bodies to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH).

According to the BVH doctors, the officials of Musafirkhana police station visited the hospital to complete the legal formalities and handover the bodies to the deceased persons’ family members.

The train was delayed for an hour because of the accident.

SECURITY: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Zubair Dreshek has said that foolproof security arrangements have been made for the Tazia, Alam and Zuljanah processions on Youm-i-Ashur on Thursday in the Bahawalpur region.

According to Bahawalpur District Police Officer Muhammad Faisal Kamran, over 3,000 police officials, along with about 200 volunteers, would be deployed for Ashura security on the routes of over 70 Zuljinah and Tazia processions on Thursday in the district.

According to the DPO’s spokesperson Umar Saleem, Uch Sharif, Khairpur Tamewali and Ahmedpur East have been declared “most sensitive” places, where strict security measures have been taken for the processions.

RPO Muhammad Zubair Dreshek accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathiya and DPO Kamran also inspected the security arrangements for Muharram processions and gatherings at Uch Sharif.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2021