The Sukkur rail disaster occurred on 4 January 1990 in the village of Sangi, near

Sukkur Sukkur is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the List of cities in Sindh by population, third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and H ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, claiming 307 lives. This makes it the deadliest

rail accident A train accident or train wreck is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track, when the wheels of train come off the ...

in the country's history. The Bahauddin Zakaria Express, on an overnight journey from

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, was significantly over capacity with far more passengers than its 1,408-seat limit. The train was meant to pass through Sangi, but misaligned rail points diverted it into a siding where it collided with a stationary 67-car freight train at a speed of at least . The collision destroyed the first three carriages and severely damaged two others, resulting in 700 injuries alongside the fatalities. An investigation held railway staff directly responsible for the disaster, leading to manslaughter charges against three employees on duty at Sangi station.

Sources

At Least 210 Die in Pakistan's Worst Rail Crash
from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
An improperly set railroad switch is blamed for the early morning collision
from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

References

{{coord missing, Sindh Train collisions in Pakistan Railway accidents in 1990 1990 disasters in Pakistan Sukkur District Transport in Sindh History of Sindh (1947–present) January 1990 in Pakistan Accidents and incidents involving Pakistan Railways

See also

Sources

References