SUKKUR, March 28: The 19-up Khushhal Khan Khatak Express narrowly escaped disaster near Kandhkot railway station on Sunday when its driver applied emergency brakes on seeing a large portion of tracks missing a few metres ahead.

Following the incident, railway traffic between Kandhkot, Kashmore, and Dera Ghazi Khan was suspended: 20-down Khushhal Khan Khatak Express was stopped at the Kandhkot railway station while other trains were stopped at different stations.

Sources said the track was uprooted at about 11am but railways authorities failed to inform train drivers about the situation which nearly cost the loss of life and property.

They added the Sukkur division authorities also failed to send a repair team on time. Railways authorities said a Parco team working near the Malir Shakh railway crossing had uprooted at least 50 feet of the track while moving heavy machinery across it.

They said the railways department was considering lodging a case against the Parco for damages.

Protest: Villagers staged a sit-in on the Sukkur-Shikarpur road on Sunday to protest against a robbery incident in the Chand village of the Lakhi Ghulam Shah area.