Jaffar Express Derails Four Coaches due to Blast, 6 Injured

By Abdul Khalique

SHIKARPUR: A powerful explosion on the Jaffar Express near Sultan Kot village in Shikarpur district caused four coaches to derail, leaving six passengers injured and spreading panic across the area on Saturday.

According to initial reports, the blast occurred on the railway track as the Rawalpindi-to-Quetta-bound Jaffar Express was passing through the Sultan Kot section. The explosion’s intensity was so strong that several coaches overturned, and the loud sound was heard from miles away, causing fear among local residents.

Police officials confirmed that six passengers, including a young girl, sustained minor injuries. The victims were immediately shifted to Civil Hospital Shikarpur for medical treatment, where doctors declared all of them out of danger.

Following the explosion, SSP Shikarpur Shahzaib Chachar, Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Ahmed Abro, and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) teams rushed to the scene. The area was cordoned off for evidence collection and to ensure the safety of rescue operations.

Railway officials said rescue teams from Sukkur had been summoned to remove the derailed coaches and repair the damaged track. Train operations on the route were temporarily suspended but will resume once the line is restored.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former provincial minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner, visited the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured passengers.

Sheikh strongly condemned the incident, calling it a cowardly act of terror, and urged the federal government to strengthen railway security and implement effective safety measures to prevent such attacks in the future.

Police have launched an investigation, with forensic teams collecting samples from the site to determine the nature of the blast. Authorities are also probing the possibility of sabotage, as security has been tightened across the region follo

wing the incident.