17 people killed as trains collide near Karachi

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.

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.

At least two carriages from the trains overturned due to the collision. TV footage showed the trains had suffered heavy damage.Rescue services have pulled out all trapped passengers after cutting through the mangled wreckage. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.

The train operation came 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.