At least 21 people were killed and nearly 89 injured when two trains collided in Rahimyar Khan early Thursday, officials said. The incident took place when a passenger train coming from Lahore rammed into a goods train that had stopped at a crossing, a senior government official said. A senior Railways official gave AFP the toll, adding: "We fear the death toll will rise as rescue teams are still cutting (through) the wreckage."

Earlier, local police officer Omar Salamat told private TV channel that dozens had been taken to nearby hospitals. "The condition of three to four passengers is critical," he said. TV footage from the site showed the heavily damaged train engine and carriages, as emergency workers and local people used metal-cutting tools and heavy cranes.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the minister for railways told TV channel Aaj News that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes of the incident. Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted his condolences, adding: "Have asked Railways Minister to take emergency steps to counter decades of neglect of railway infrastructure & ensure safety standards." Also on Thursday at least nine passengers were killed and 22 injured when a speeding bus overturned near the capital Islamabad, a police official said, while a landslide in the Swat valley killed six people, all from one family.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019