Train tragedy

It is something of a miracle that more people did not die in the head-on collision between a goods train and the Allama Iqbal Express, which took place on the outskirts of Karachi. Nineteen deaths are of course 19 too many. But the toll could have been still higher had the trains being moving faster and had run into each other with greater impact. We are told by railways officials that the accident occurred because the driver of the Allama Iqbal Express, coming in to Karachi, ignored a signal to stop. The driver has now fled. But what we do need is a full inquiry to ascertain what happened and why.

In the past there have been reports of overworked drivers stalked constantly by exhaustion. There may be no truth in this, but an examination of complaints is required. One of the problems is that once the furore that follows every incident dies down, promises made at the time are forgotten and no meaningful effort to remedy flaws takes place. This means that weeks or months or, if we are fortunate, years down the road another disaster lies in wait along the tracks that wind their way across the country. Behind these incidents lie years of neglect and poor management practices. A lack of accountability aggravates the issues. Even after much bigger disasters ministers show no inclination to resign or accept responsibility. Such failures explain to a large extent why we continue to struggle to get systems in place and to enforce controls that could help save lives and prevent suffering.