MIANWALI, Aug 7 Nine people, including eight members of a family, were killed when 129-Up Thal Express hit a motorcycle-rickshaw at an unmanned crossing near Kundian on Saturday.

Four women and as many children of a family were going to Kundian on motorcycle-rickshaw driven by Muhammad Bilawal.

When the tri-wheeler approached the crossing, its engine developed a malfunction and the vehicle got stuck in middle of the track.

In the meantime, the Rawalpindi-bound train came and hit the rickshaw, killing Nasim, Zeenat, Nasrin, Sakina, three-year-old Aamir, four-year-old Attique, two-year-old Azhar and two-year-old Samina and Bilawal on the spot.

Sargodha Division Commissioner Malik Jawad Rafique, Mianwali DCO Tariq Mahmood and DPO Abdul Jabbar Rana reached the scene.

It is learnt that the locals had been using the point to cross the track for long. However, it was not an official crossing sanctioned by the Pakistan Railways. — Correspondent