HYDERABAD: Six bogies of a Lahore-bound goods train derailed and caused suspension of rail traffic on upcountry tracks here on Saturday. The incident took place in Khaskheli Mohalla of the Makki Shah area at about 4pm.

A considerably large patch of upcountry track was affected due to the derailment. Several passenger and goods trains were halted at different stations during the course of the repair and rehabilitation work.

The accident-hit rain’s engine was detached from the affected bogies and driven to the Hyderabad railway station.

Railway officials said it might take at least 10 hours to fully rehabilitate the damaged tracks. In the meantime, they added, up and down trains would move on the down track.

Railways Karachi divisional superintendent Kashif Yousufani rushed to the spot along with supporting staff to oversee the rehabilitation and restoration work.

A Karachi-based railway official said no comment could be offered immediately about the cause of the derailment. It could be either a human error or failure of equipment, he said.

None of the train’s bogies capsized in the incident, one official in Hyderabad said, adding that a full diagram would be prepared on the spot to establish the actual cause of the derailment and assess the damage to the track.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2022