At least 17 people were killed and more than 40 injured when two passenger trains collided Thursday morning near Karachi's Landi Railway Station, hospital officials said.
The collision occurred as Zakaria Express from Multan rammed into Fareed Express from Lahore, which was stationary, from behind between Juma Goth and Landhi Railway Station, Divisional Superintendent (DS) Railway Nasir Nazeer told DawnNews.
Railway officials gave green signal to the train coming from behind by mistake, and it went on to hit the train at rest, said Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Labour Senator Saeed Ghani.
"There could be up to 1,000 passengers in both trains,” Nazeer told AFP.
Administration officials at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) said 17 bodies were brought to the hospital's mortuary.
Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation had earlier confirmed the deaths of 12 people.
At least two carriages from the trains overturned due to the collision. TV footage showed the trains had suffered heavy damage. Many people are trapped under the train wreckage, DawnNews reported.
Rescue services have arrived at the site, and trapped passengers are being pulled out after cutting through the mangled wreckage. The injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals.
The train operation has come to a complete halt after the accident.
Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said in a tweet he was in touch with DS Railway who is supervising the emergency activities. He said an "independent inquiry" will be held to hold accountable those responsible for the incident.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometres of track and trains from former colonial power, Britain.
The railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
Earlier in September, four people were killed as a passenger train collided with a goods train near Multan.
Last November, 19 people were killed in Baluchistan after a train's brakes failed and it sped down the side of a mountain.
In July 2015, at least 17 people were killed when a special military train fell into a canal after a bridge partially collapsed.
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