At least 20 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims returning from Nankana Sahib were killed when the driver of the mini-bus they were travelling reportedly tried to take a short cut to avoid a shut railway crossing and rammed the vehicle into a passenger train in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday, officials said.
The mini-bus carrying around 26 Sikh pilgrims, all from Peshawar, hit the Shah Hussain Express which was coming from Karachi to Lahore at a crossing near Sheikhupura district at around 1.30 pm, police said.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, at least eight people were injured in the accident, all of whom were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital, Sheikhupura, Dawn newspaper reported.
The gate at the crossing was closed and the driver apparently tried to take a shortcut instead of waiting for the gate to open, senior police officer Ghazi Salahuddin told reporters at the crash site.
“Twenty passengers died that included women and children,” he said.
The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesperson Amir Hashmi said the bus was carrying mostly Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad in the district.
“They had come to Nankana Sahib from Peshawar. After staying in Nanakana Sahib, they were leaving for Peshawar. The ETPB security had escorted them till the limits of Nankana Sahib,” he said.
Police have denied reports that the crossing was unmanned.
Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Dost Ali Laghari has set up a committee comprising three senior officers to investigate the incident. It will present its initial report by Saturday “so that it can be determined which side was at fault”, according to the press release.
“Action will be taken in accordance with the law against whomever is held responsible for this accident,” the Railways statement said.
The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital, a statement by the Railways Ministry said.
The railways said a divisional engineer has been suspended from service and an inquiry has been launched.