Task No.1 (What’s it about?) - Reading Task… (06/02/07)

Passenger on train roof electrocuted

Q: What is this accident all about?
A: The passengers on a train roof were electrocuted and there are at least 11 deaths and more than 40 injured.

Q: Where did this accident occur?
A: It occurred near the town of Sukkur in Pakistan’s southern Sidh province.

Q: What occasion is it actually?
A: It is the annual mourning festival of Ashoura

Q: Why did the passengers have to be situated at the train roof?
A: It was a religious meeting and the population of the town is high as well as there was a lack of public transport, thus it was very crowded during the ride causing some of the passengers to be on the train roof. It is a common practice of the locals.

Q: What caused the deaths and injuries?
A: The victims were either electrocuted or tossed off the top of the moving train after being hit by the power line. Some were carrying the religious flags and other symbols that apparently struck the overhead electricity cable, electrocuting and throwing them off the train. While others were swept off the moving train or jumped off in panic.

Q: Why is the power line so fatal?
A: It is a high-voltage power line of 1,100 KV that had snapped and was dangling over the railway.

Q: What did the locals do after the accident happen?
A: They rushed the victims to the nearest hospital.

Q: How did the police respond after this accident?
A: The police say that they would try to draw lessons from this and there would be more police deployed at railway stations to deny the locals from occupying the roof space.

Reflection
Some thoughts come through my mind when I first saw this article. Firstly, I want to comment that this accident happened due to the wrong mindset of the locals in the town. As there is very little public transport, the locals think that it is right to squeeze themselves and get onto the dangerous roof of the train. As the government did not give out strong policies on the safety of the transports, it leads to a miscommunication. And also the local police are supposed to guide the locals to get into the train safely but they failed to do that. The control station staff should also warn the locals not to get onto the roofs as well as arrange more train timing in order to transport more locals. In other words, the government of Pakistan should focus more on the problem of lacking in public transports. Together with the locals and the working staff, such accidents can be prevented.