Four passengers injured after blast derails Jaffar Express in Sindh’s Shikarpur

• Blast derails four Jaffar Express coaches in Sultan Kot.
• Train operations remain suspended after explosion.
• Railway authorities begin repair work following blast.
  

SHIKARPUR: At least four passengers were injured after a remote-controlled explosion derailed four coaches of the Jaffar Express train near Sultan Kot village in Sindh’s Shikarpur district, said police on Tuesday.

Following the blast, rescue teams and police reached the site and shifted the injured passengers to a nearby hospital.

Train operations were suspended after the explosion, said the divisional superintendent of railways.

Bomb Disposal Squad personnel collected evidence from the damaged track, while railway authorities have begun repair work, which officials estimate may take up to 10 hours.

This is not the first time the Jaffar Express has come under attack.

In June, a remote-controlled explosive device planted on the railway track caused four coaches of the train to derail near the cattle market in Jacobabad. Although no casualties were reported.

Earlier, on March 11, the train was targeted in a hijacking incident when outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants opened fire on the locomotive and took more than 400 passengers hostage in Balochistan.

The military, after clearing the train and rescuing hostages, killed 33 attackers. Before the operation began, terrorists had martyred 26 passengers, while four security personnel were martyred during the operation.

CM Murad condemns blast

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has strongly condemned an explosion on the railway track near Kot Sultan.

He directed the Sindh IGP to provide a complete report of the incident. The chief minister also directed the Larkana commissioner to provide the best medical treatment to the injured passengers.

He said that timely assistance should be provided to the affected passengers by sending rescue teams.

Furthermore, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar has sought a detailed report from Shikarpur SSP Shahzaib Chachar.