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Nightmare onboard Allama Iqbal Express

Train driver’s fault or negligence of control room?

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: Although Railways officials are blaming the driver of the Allama Iqbal Express for ignoring the red signal and causing the train’s collision with a goods train near Jumma Goth junction that killed 17 people and injured dozens on Tuesday, well-placed sources claim it was the fault of the Railways control room, which signalled both trains to come to the main track.

The sources claimed the Railways control room signalled the goods train to take the up-track when the signal was green. The signal for the Allama Iqbal Express was red, but it was turned to green when the driver resumed his journey towards Karachi. This caused the disaster, they added.

The Railways officials have blamed the driver of the Allama Iqbal Express, Jam Rasool Bux, of overlooking the red signal.

“The Super Parcel Goods Train was waiting on the loop line when it was given the green signal to take the up-track, while the Allama Iqbal Express was signalled to halt, but its driver overlooked it and resultantly, rammed his train into the goods train,” Aftab Memon, Karachi Railways Divisional Superintendent, told the media.

The site of the tragic accident echoed with cries for help as several passengers were trapped inside the mangled bogies of the Allama Iqbal Express.

The survivors of this horrible tragedy, though shaken by the terrible ordeal, felt fortunate to be alive despite such a massive accident.

The survivors told this scribe that the train had stopped for about 25-30 minutes and when it resumed its course, the collision minutes later.

The beleaguered passengers tried to make their way out of the train but many could not find any exit due to mangled state of the bogies, luggage and injured passengers scattered all over inside.

The deceased victims of the incident who were shifted to the JPMC were identified as eight-month-old Mohammad Shayan, son of M Asad; three-year-old Manisha, daughter of Ishaq; a one-year-old unidentified child; Roshan Jahan, 50; Farzana Noor, 30; Ayaz Laghari, 50; Tahir Aslam, 40; Nasir, 29; Lalazar, 20; Fazal Elahi, 20; Ismail, 21, son of Mehmood Ali; Ismail Laghari, 20; Narsingh, 29, son of Lakh Dero; Abdul Rasheed, 45, son of Abdul Ghafoor; Abdul Hafeez, 45, Naureen, 28, and an unidentified 50 year-old man.

Some of the injured were identified as Mohammad Nazir, 60; Mohammad Nawaz, 20; Abdul Ghani, 20; Waseem Ahmed, 23; Ilyas, 25; Shafqat Hussain, 21; Tahir, 17; Yasmin, 37; Sajid, 26; eight-year-old Sufyan; Jahanwar Malang; Mohammad Ibrahim, 25; three-year-old Moazaam; Mohammad Iqbal, 30; Arshad, 28; Farzana, 35; Waheedur Rehman, 36; Asif, 22; Shazia, 22; Sakhawat, 40; Nauroz Khan, 50; Kulsoom, 40; Nazeer, 40; Ataullah, 30; Sheikh Azizullah, 55; Mehreen, 19; Shahbaz, 17; M Bilal, 22; M Aslam 55; Noman, 10; Javed 10; Kauser, 33; Waris, 20; Nazeeran, 30, and Kauser, 30.

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