Reporting snapshot · 13 October 2026. This is a fast-moving rescue and inquiry. Casualty figures differ between outlets and had not been consolidated in an official list when this article was written; the cause is not yet established.
What happened
At least six passengers were killed and about 30 were injured when the Rehman Baba Express, running from Karachi to Peshawar, derailed near Sher Shah on the outskirts of Multan in the early hours of Tuesday 13 October 2026. All 14 coaches left the tracks, according to police and rescue officials quoted by Geo News and The News International.
A passenger told reporters the accident happened at around 5:15am. Rescue officials said 13 of the coaches had been cleared by the time the first reports were filed, with work continuing around one coach. The injured were taken to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, and The Express Tribune reported that most of those aboard were from Karachi.
Rescue and disruption
The railways dispatched a relief train and a medical van from Multan, and the provincial rescue service, Rescue 1122, said it had evacuated 53 passengers from the wreckage. Nishtar Hospital declared an emergency; its administration said 25 injured people had been brought in, three of them already dead, with one patient in critical condition and 21 others receiving treatment.
Traffic on both the up and down tracks through Multan was suspended. Railway cranes were used to remove the derailed coaches, a process officials expected to take several hours, and trains passing through the city were being diverted via Lodhran and Khanewal, which officials said would cause delays for passengers.
Why it matters: a safety record under strain
The derailment is the latest in a long run of accidents on the national network and reopens familiar questions about track and fleet maintenance. In August 2023, the Hazara Express derailed near Nawabshah in Sindh, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 100 — an incident the same outlets cited as a benchmark for the scale of the problem.
More recently, The Express Tribune reported that more than 20 railway accidents had been recorded since the start of 2026, including the Tezgam Express derailment near Lodhran in March, a Shalimar Express collision with a stationary freight train near Rohri, and a Karakoram Express coupling failure near Khanewal. A Pakistan Railways report released in December 2025 recorded 95 accidents between 1 January and 20 December that year, including 46 passenger-train and 43 freight-train derailments, and cited limited modernisation of track, signalling and safety infrastructure. A May 2025 report said more than 6,500 kilometres of track had exceeded its natural lifespan, and railway engineers quoted at the time pointed to poor track alignment and lapses in safety procedure.
The current disruption also follows an earlier blow to the same corridor: in July 2026, monsoon floodwater eroded bridges and forced Pakistan Railways to suspend the Lahore–Faisalabad section, diverting Karachi-bound services.
What officials say, and what is still unclear
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident, expressed concern for the injured and directed authorities to speed up the rescue and ensure the injured received the best possible treatment without delay. President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences to the families of those killed, wished the injured a quick recovery and called for a transparent investigation.
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi expressed deep grief, said compensation would be paid to the families of the dead and to the injured under the railway insurance policy, and directed the Federal Government Inspector of Railways to investigate. He was expected in Multan to assess the situation.
The cause has not been officially established, and an inquiry committee has been formed. Accounts differ. The train’s guard in charge said the driver felt a sudden jolt near Sher Shah and that several coaches derailed seconds later; it was too early, he said, to say whether a track fault or a part falling from a coach was responsible. Some passengers alleged the train was being driven at excessive speed and said they had asked the driver to slow down near Bahawalpur because of heavy jolting in the fourth and fifth coaches. A separate passenger account, carried by Geo News and The News, said workers had repaired the nuts and bolts of coach number nine near Rohri before the accident. The Multan divisional superintendent of railways said it was too early to comment.
Unresolved questions include the exact death toll, the condition of the most seriously injured and whether a toddler reported missing in The Express Tribune’s account was later found. As rescue work and the inquiry continue, the confirmed facts — the route, the near-total derailment of the train and the suspension of services through Multan — are likely to outlast the first day’s differing figures.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 13 October 2026. No consolidated official casualty list had been released at the time of writing, and cause-of-accident claims remain preliminary.
- Geo News — At least six killed, 30 injured as Rehman Baba Express derails in Multan13 October 2026 · Casualty figures, the 5:15am timing, the Karachi–Peshawar route, the clearing of 13 coaches, the prime minister's directions and the passenger account about coach nine.
- The Express Tribune — At least five killed, over 30 injured as Rahman Baba Express derails near Multan13 October 2026 · A lower death toll, the missing toddler, Rescue 1122's evacuation of 53 passengers, the Nishtar Hospital emergency, the inquiry committee, the minister's compensation and investigation orders, service diversions and the recent safety record.
- The News International — Rehman Baba Express derails in Multan, killing at least six passengers13 October 2026 · Corroborates the six-death figure, the route and timing, and the account of repairs to coach nine near Rohri.
Sourcing note. Geo News and The News International published substantially the same wire account; The Express Tribune's separately reported story gives a slightly lower death toll and adds detail on the missing child and hospital intake. Both figures are reported here with attribution rather than reconciled.
