Blast on railway track derails train in Pakistan

A bomb blast on a railway track derailed a passenger train and killed eight persons, including four children from the same family, in Pakistan's southern Sindh province today, officials said.

More than 30 people were injured in the attack near Thal in Jacobabad.

The explosion occurred as the Khushal Khan Express, travelling from Karachi to Peshawar in the northwest, approached Unnar Wah railway station, officials said.

Three coaches were derailed and damaged by the powerful blast, which was triggered by remote control.

Rescue service and railway officials said eight bodies, including those of four children, were pulled out of the derailed coaches.

"Four children aged between eight and 12 years belonging to the same family lost their lives," said an official of Edhi Trust, one of Pakistan's leading rescue services.
A police official said dozens of injured were taken to a hospital in Rahimyar Khan.

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique ordered an investigation into the incident. He asked Railways General Manager Anjum Pervez to speed up the recovery work.
This was the second such bomb attack this month. Earlier, the Shalimar Express train was targeted near Dhabiji.