Train Collision in Pakistan Kills 11, Injures 67 - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Nearly a dozen people lost their lives and almost 70 others suffered injuries in the eastern Pakistani region of Punjab on Thursday as a result of a deadly collision between passenger and freight trains, Geo News reported.

The trains collided at around 4 a.m. local time on Thursday (23:00 GMT on Wednesday), according to the broadcaster Geo News.

A total of 11 people were killed and 67 others, including 11 children, were injured as a result of the railroad accident that took place in the Sadiqabad Tehsil area, the news channel specified.

A rescue operation is underway to help people get out of the wrecked train and recover the victims' bodies, the broadcaster said.

The passenger train is believed to have swtiched to a wrong track while it was passing near a railway station where the freight train was stationed on a loop line, Geo News stated.

11 killed, 60 injured in Pakistan train collision https://t.co/H1duuIjPN2 pic.twitter.com/M8nxICqtcQ

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​Up to four passenger cars have derailed as a result of the collision, the broadcaster added.

Pakistani Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said in comments to the broadcaster that the collision had been caused by negligence. The minister added that an investigation into the accident had been launched.