LAHORE: Several people were injured when a Karachi-bound train derailed near Punjab’s Lodhran on Tuesday night, officials said.

Lodhran District Emergency Officer Engineer Shakeel Ahmed told Dawn that, according to initial reports, 17 of the injured were provided first aid at the spot while eight others were taken to the district headquarters hospital.

Pakistan Railways (PR) spokesperson Babar Ali told Dawn that no loss of life was reported in the incident and that the cause of the accident was yet to be determined.

He said the federal minister for railways had ordered a “high-level inquiry” to determine the cause.

The spokesperson also stated that the affected track would soon be open for traffic, and Rescue 1122 and PR medical teams had conducted relief and rescue operations at the site. A relief train and a relief truck were also sent to the site, he added.

Further details about the incident involving Tezgam Express are not yet clear.

The train’s driver, Tariq Khan, earlier told Dawn he could not explain how the train was derailed. “I don’t know how it happened.” He added, “I don’t know how many passengers have died or have been injured.”

Tuesday’s incident comes around 10 days after the Lahore-bound Shalimar Express collided with a goods train at Lakha Road Railway Station in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, resulting in the death of one person and leaving a dozen wounded.

Additional reporting by Imran Gabol