LAHORE, July 16: The wreckage of the trains could not be removed from the main line of the Sarhad railway station till Saturday evening. “It is not possible to fully restore traffic before Sunday noon,” sources said. “The destroyed bogies can only be carried on open-end wagons which the Sukkur division does not have. Every bogie has to be cut into two pieces to load it on the wagons without-end which is time consuming process,” they said.

Rail traffic from Karachi to various upcountry destinations and vice versa was passing through loop lines of the Sarhad railway station.

Officials reiterated their stance: “Not a single train is being stopped between Rohri and Sarhad railway stations since July 13 at 10:45am when the down track was cleared.”

Compensation cheques: Only 32 cheques have so far been cleared for compensation payment to heirs of those killed in a triple train collision at Sarhad railway station on July 13, it is learnt.

Sources told Dawn on Saturday that of the over 150 claimants for compensation, only 32 had attached national identity cards which were verified. The rest of them had not attached any documents which could prove their relationship with the deceased.

“The attempt by some people to get the compensation money on bogus claims, with the connivance of railways officials, was foiled by the legal wing of the organization,” they claimed.

Officials said a foolproof system had been devised to ensure that only the legal heirs of the deceased or injured could get the compensation.