ISLAMABAD / SUKKUR: The Ministry of Railways has said a technical fault and not an explosion derailed three coaches of a passenger train near Shikarpur on Monday.

One passenger, Aurangzeb Pathan hailing from Quetta, was injured as he fell from the berth due to the the derailment of the three coaches of the Jaffar Express near Shikarpur.

Media reports, including the state-run APP news agency, cited officials as saying that the accident was caused by an explosion.

However, in a statement late on Monday evening, the railways ministry said locals living around the station perceived the sound of the derailing train as that of an explosion and panicked, assuming it an act of terror.

The ministry ruled out explosion as the cause of accident. It said an unfamiliar terrorist outfit “took advantage of the incident” and falsely labelled it as an “armed attack” and claimed responsibility. “This claim is not only baseless, but also tantamount to an example of opportunism and irrelevance.”

The train was heading from Peshawar to Quetta when it met with the accident on Monday, Divisional Superintendent Railways Sukkur Jamshaid Alam said.

As initial reports claimed an explosion, a number of senior officials, including the Shikarpur DC Shakeel Abro, SSP Shahzaib Chachar, railway authorities and bomb disposal unit arrived at the site and after a thorough sweep cleared the site.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2025