Army chief attends Gujranwala martyrs funeral prayers

GUJRANWALA (Web Desk) - Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif Thursday attended the funeral prayers of a dozen people including military personnel, who embraced martyrdom when a train carrying soldiers and military hardware fell into a canal in Gujranwala following the partial collapse of a bridge, Samaa TV reported.

The accident occurred near the eastern town of Wazirabad in the country's most populous province Punjab as it headed to the garrison town of Kharian. A statement issued by the military said four carriages derailed as the train crossed Chanawan Bridge.

Military spokesman Asim Bajwa tweeted that eight bodies, including "Lieutenant Colonel Amir", the commander of a unit, had so far been recovered while a further four people were missing. A rescue mission involving rubber dinghies, helicopters and divers was launched, live TV footage showed.

Rauf Tahir, a spokesman for the railways ministry confirmed the incident, adding that the injured were taken to a military hospital in the nearby city of Gujranwala.

Other high ranking military commanders were also offered the funeral prayer of martyrs along with COAS. The funeral prayer was offered in Combined Military Hospital Gujranwala.

Earlier, the army chief visited the survivors of the accident under treatment in the CMH and inquired after their health.