At least three schoolgirls died on Tuesday when a train collided with a school van on the boundary of Lahore city, according to The Tribune Express report.
The Ravi Express, which was traveling from Sherkot to Lahore, crashed with the fateful van, injuring many other children.
Officials stated the train was stopped following the collision, and railway officials initiated an inquiry, with divisional officers being dispatched to the accident site.
Earlier this month, Pakistan Railways announced that the operation of the Ravi Express was restored as demanded by the people.
It was originally shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Train accidents are frequent in Pakistan, where corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of investment have led to decades of decline in the railways.
A Karachi-bound train crashed into the derailed bogies of a Sargodha-bound express at the Sindh-Punjab provincial border in June, killing at least 51 people and injuring nearly 100 others.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the death of girl students in a train-van collision near Sheikhupura and directed the administration to provide the best treatment facilities to the injured. The CM has also sought a report from the administration and extended sympathies to the bereaved heirs.
Rail accidents are common in Pakistan, which inherited thousands of kilometers of track and trains from former colonial power Britain. But the network has seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement, and lack of investment.
