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At least 12 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn train crash on Thursday in southwest Pakistan, railway officials said.

Eight carriages of the Quetta Express passenger train derailed at around 5:00 am (2300 GMT Wednesday) when a bridge pylon collapsed near the town of Sibbi, 110 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Quetta.

The train was bound for Quetta from Rawalpindi, the bustling market city next to the capital Islamabad in the country's north.

"Twelve people have died and 60 others are injured," local railway official Jamilur Rehman said.

Pakistan Railways spokesman Mian Ibrar earlier put the toll at seven dead and 20 injured.

The spokesman said the army was helping with rescue operations and cranes were being used to clear the track.

Train services to and from Quetta and the rest of the country have been suspended. Ibrar said the line would be cleared by the end of the day.

Local officials in Sibbi said military helicopters carrying army medical teams had been sent to airlift the injured to Quetta hospitals. 

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