MULTAN, Pakistan - A passenger train crushed to death a group of six young boys as they played on a railway track in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, police said.
The train was passing through the city of Bahawalpur when the accident happened, said police officer Mohammed Aslam.
The boys, ages 8 to 10 years old, died at the scene, Aslam said.
The railway line in the Dhobhi Gath neighborhood crosses a thickly populated area where children often play at or near the track, he said.
"We had repeatedly warned local communities to be careful and stop children from playing at the track and mark the timings of trains," Aslam said.
The train was traveling from the port city of Karachi to Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province where Bahawalpur is located.
Pakistan has an antiquated railroad system and accidents involving trains are common, many are blamed on poorly-run railway facilities. Last week, 11 people were killed when they were either electrocuted or thrown off the roof of a crowded train in the southern Sindh province.
