The Pakistan Railways’ administration on Tuesday suspended six of its officials, including two 18-grade officers, in connection with the derailment of the Hazara Express near Nawabshah that left at least 30 people dead and scores injured last week.

Ten bogies of Havelian-bound Hazara Express had derailed near Sarhari Railway Station in Sindh’s Sanghar district on Sunday, with Pakistan Railways (PR) officials stating the breakage of the railway line and hot axle, which jammed movement, as the reason.

However, Railways Minister Saad Rafique had stated that the possibility of sabotage as well as a mechanical fault could not be ruled out. He had also termed the railway track to be fit.

Later, a six-member team was constituted to probe the crash.

In a notification issued today, the Ministry of Railways said six officers had been suspended with “immediate effect” and until further orders in connection with the tragedy in light of Rule-5 of Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.

The said officials included a divisional executive engineer from Sukkur, a diesel workshop manager in Karachi, the assistant executive engineer of Nawabshah, the permanent way officer of Shahdadpur, Kotri’s power controller and a keyman.

The decision was issued with the approval of the Railways chairman, the notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, added.

The suspension comes a day after a departmental probe into the crash revealed that missing fishplates and a damaged track caused the derailment of the Hazara Express.

“After checking from all the aspects, we came to [the] conclusion that [the] accident took place due to fresh rail broken and fishplates missing,” the report said.

The team also identified skidding of the train’s locomotive as another reason behind the derailment.

The report, seen by Dawn, said the train engine had left the site without examination by senior subordinates. Moreover, “little hitting spots” were found on the iron fishplates and wooden terminal beyond the accident point. “Hence the eng­i­neering branch and mechanical branch are held responsible for this accident,” it read.

The document added that sabotage cannot be rejected as the derailed coaches were dragged to a distance of 750 feet. The report also contained two dissenting notes

Meanwhile, a PR official told Dawn that it was a “very initial probe report” as the final one will take some time to prepare.

“A detailed probe in this regard is underway as the Federal Government Inspector of Railways (a grade 22 officer) is on-site to find out the reason behind this tragedy,” he maintained.

Minister highlights two factors leading to train crash

Meanwhile, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has dismissed claims that wooden pieces were used to attach the bogies of the ill-fated train.

Speaking in the National Assembly today, the minister highlighted two factors that contributed to the incident, resulting in fatalities.

“Firstly, the two locomotive wheels behind the engine were jammed and lubricants were applied to free them. Ideally, these locomotives should have been detached altogether as a safety precaution,” the minister said.

He elaborated that the second factor was a flaw in the rail top, which exacerbated the problem.

The minister shared that an initial investigation had led to the suspension of six officials, assuring that a comprehensive report on the incident would be available within a few days.

He emphasised that a segment of the railway track between Rohri and Kotri had become a concern due to its deteriorated condition, and suggested that an allocation of Rs10 billion to Rs12bn could address the issue. He urged the incoming government to consider releasing the funds to prevent the recurrence of such crashes.

Additionally, the minister announced that the government would provide Rs1.5 million compensation to the heirs of each deceased, but at the same time underscored that compensation alone wasn’t a solution.

Furthermore, Rafique stressed the importance of investing in the railway sector for its efficient operation.