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People gather at the site where a passenger train collided with a cargo train near Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 20, 2019. At least three people were killed and several passengers sustained injuries when a passenger train collided with a cargo train near Hyderabad city of Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Thursday, railways officials said. (Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, June 20 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and several passengers sustained injuries when a passenger train collided with a cargo train near Hyderabad city of Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Thursday, railways officials said.

A driver, an assistant driver of the passenger train and a security guard of the cargo train were killed and multiple others injured when the Lahore-bound Jinnah Express collided with the freight train near Hyderabad, Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said.

He added that no passenger was killed in the accident, adding that an investigation has been launched into the accident and an initial report will be issued quickly.

Following the accident, police and paramilitary Sindh Rangers along with rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured people to nearby hospitals in the area for treatment.

The ill-fated passenger train was going from the southern port city of Karachi to eastern Lahore. The accident was possibly caused as the passenger train driver was unable to get the signal, reported local news channels.

Railways officials said several bogies of the passenger train derailed after the collision. Arrival and departure of trains from Karachi have been suspended till the clearance of the track.

Accidents involving trains have increased many folds recently, with at least 44 major accidents have been reported during the past six months, according to media reports.