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At least 12 people were killed, over 100 others injured and at least four people went missing when four compartments of a train fell into a canal while crossing a bridge in Pakistan's city of Gujranwala on Thursday afternoon, local media and officials said.
Dawn News said that the bridge collapsed when the train was crossing it in Janki Chatta area of Gujranwala, a district located in the country's east Punjab province.
The special train had 21 cargo and six passenger compartments out of which four fell into the canal while crossing the bridge.
The media reports said that the cargo in the train belonged to the Pakistani army.
The special train was on its way from Kharian cantonment city to Pano Aqil city when the accident happened.
People from three compartments have been rescued while one of the compartments cannot be reached yet as it is lying deep down the water.
The report said that about 20 to 30 people including soldiers and their families are stranded in the compartment.
Army divers are trying to reach the people inside the compartment by cutting its roof.
Meanwhile the irrigation department has blocked the canal water and it will take three hours for the water inside to subside after which the rescue operation will be concluded.
The ISPR, the mouthpiece of the Pakistani Army, confirmed the killing of five people and missing of four.
The ISPR said that the train was carrying army men and their families and rescue teams are striving hard to pull out the stranded people from the canal.
The injured passengers have been shifted to military hospital of the city.
Pakistani army has taken the full control of the rescue work and four helicopters and a crane are also taking part in the operation.
Railway Minister, Khwaja Saad Rafique said that the possibility of terrorist attack behind the attack cannot be ruled out as there was no apparent fault in the train or the bridge.
He said that another passenger train crossed bridge in the morning and at that time it was intact and fully functional.
The minister said that he has formed an inquiry committee to probe into the incident, adding he himself is on the way to the incident site for monitoring the rescue work.
Regional Police Officer, Faisal Shahkar, said that they did not find any explosive materials from the incident site.
He said that the collapsed bridge is a hundred-year-old and was in a dilapidated condition.
A relief train carrying medical staff and technical has been dispatched from Lahore city to the incident site.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed concerns over the incident and directed the officials with Pakistan Railways to reach the site. He also ordered the officials to repair the track in the quickest possible way to restore the railway traffic. Enditem
