DUSHANBE, October 16, 2013, Asia-Plus — As part of his working trip to the northern Sughd province, President Emomali Rahmon today visited the military hospital in Chkalovks, where young army conscripts, who were injured in the recent Dushanbe-Khujand train derailment in Uzbekistan, are undertaking medical treatment.
Abdufattoh Sharipov, a spokesman for the president, says Emomali Rahmon handed over savings book of Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) with 1,000 somoni to each of the conscripts, who were injured in the train derailment.
We recall that some 200 conscripts reportedly were on board the Dushanbe-Khujand train when it derailed in Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh province on October 10 at 10:28 am.
“Some 200 conscripts and several officers were on board the train when five passenger cars derailed,” said an official source at the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of Tajikistan. “The accident took place in the Gallaaral district of the Jizzakh province.”
According to him, at least 33 persons were injured in the incident. All injured persons were reportedly taken to the central district hospital of Gallaaral.
Tajik Railways says the train was in satisfactory condition and had no technical problems. “Operating conditions of the train could scarcely cause the incident,” the source at Tajik Railways said.
Passengers of the wrecked train, including 33 injured, were carried to the Spitamen district in the Tajik northern province of Sughd in the evening of October 10.
Uzbek authorities have reportedly admitted blame for the Tajik train derailing in Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh province.
A joint Tajik-Uzbek commission that conducted an investigation to determine the cause of the Dushanbe-Khujand train derailment concluded that the accident was caused by Uzbek authorities’ failure to inform about repair works on the railways in the Gallaaral district of Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh province, an official source at Tajik state railway company.
According to him, the Uzbek side has agreed to cover all expenses related to the accident and the treatment of those affected by it.
The Tashkent rail car building plant will repair eight passenger cars that were affected by the Tajik train derailment in Uzbekistan.
Tajik Railways says repair works on the railways in the Uzbek district of Gallaaral have been completed and the next train transporting young army conscripts from Dushanbe to Khujand pulled out Wednesday morning.
