http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/world/asia/pakistan-train-crash-punjab.html 2016-09-15 12:50:52 Train Crash in Pakistan Kills at Least 4 A freight train was sitting idle after it had run over a man on the tracks, a senior official was quoted as saying by the news media, when a commuter train smashed into its rear. === At least four people were killed and nearly 90 were injured on Thursday when a commuter train rammed into a freight train in central Pakistan, officials said. The pre-dawn accident occurred about 15 miles from Multan, a city in Punjab Province. The freight train was sitting idle after it had run over a man on the tracks, Nadir Chattha, a senior district official, was quoted as saying by the local news media, when an Awam Express train bound for Karachi smashed into its rear. It was not immediately clear whether the man had committed suicide or had been run over while trying to cross the tracks. Human error appeared to have caused the collision, officials said, and an inquiry committee had been formed to investigate. “The driver of the passenger train did not see the red signal, which went up after the man was crushed to death by the freight train,” Saima Bashir, a railroad official, The collision left a trail of destruction. Four cars and the engine of the commuter train derailed. Images of the commuter cars piled onto the carriages of the freight train were broadcast by the news media. Sixty people were treated at the crash site, rescue officials said, and 29 were taken to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, which appealed for blood donations. Awam Express runs daily between Peshawar and Karachi. After a three-day holiday this week for Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday that honors Abraham’s sacrifice, many people were returning to work from their hometowns. By noon on Thursday, the rescue operation was completed, and efforts were underway to reopen the track. Officials said 40 ambulances and 200 rescuers had taken part. Train accidents are frequent in the country. In November, 19 people were killed in southwestern Baluchistan Province after the brakes on a train failed and it sped down the side of a mountain. In July 2015, at least 17 people were killed when four cars of a train Railroads in Pakistan, which are owned by the government, have long suffered from malfeasance and neglect, and the country is struggling to turn them into a profitable enterprise. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the episode and asked that the injured receive the best possible medical care. “The prime minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and the granting of courage and forbearance to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss,” a statement from his office said.