Wednesday, July 13 2005 16:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Ruling out any "sabotage" in the collision of three passenger trains at a station in southern Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf today (July 13, 2005) said the pre-dawn pile-up that killed at least 107 people could have occurred due to "carelessness" and vowed to punish those found guilty.

"It is clear that there was no sabotage. It could be due to carelessness (of staff). We will inquire immediately. Anyone found guilty should be punished. I have already spoken to Railway authorities," Musharraf, who was in Karachi, told State-run PTV.

Pakistan railway officials blamed the country's worst-ever train accident in a decade on human error, suggesting that carelessness of the staff might have been the reason why the stationary Quetta Express was hit by Karachi-Lahore Express from the rare as it was allowed to travel on the same track.

Another train, Karachi-Rawalpindi Express, crashed into the debris of the bogies of the two trains which fell on the adjoining track resulting in heavy casualties among the passengers travelling by that train.

Expressing his grief and condolences, Musharraf said so far around 107 bodies have been retrieved from the site and army and civil administration have been fully geared up to evacuate the injured to hospitals.

He said Army has deployed several helicopters to evacuate the injured and emergency has been declared in several hospitals to treat the injured.