74 killed as gas explosion sets Pakistan train on fire Anti-govt ‘Azadi March’ postponed after rail tragedy
Passengers say it took nearly 20 minutes for train to stop
ISLAMABAD: A fire swept through a Pakistani intercity train on Thursday, killing 74 people and injuring nearly 40 after a gas canister that passengers were using to cook breakfast exploded, the minister of railways said.
The fire destroyed three carriages on the Tezgam Express near the town of Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab province. It was on its way to Rawalpindi, near the capital, from the southern city of Karachi, with many people travelling to a religious gathering.
The fire was caused by a cylinder blast that occurred in the morning when passengers were preparing their breakfast in the train. Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the people responsible were part of the Tableegi Jamaat, a religious entity, who were going to Lahore to participate in their annual congregation at Raiwind.
“Two stoves blew up when people were cooking breakfast, the presence of kerosene with the passengers in the moving train further spread the fire,” Ahmed told Geo television. Many of the dead were killed when they leapt from the moving train to escape the flames, he said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy”.
“I have ordered an immediate inquiry to be completed on an urgent basis,” he said in a post on Twitter.
Human rights minister Shireen Mazari extended “prayers and condolences” to families of the victims, further saying that the tragedy “could have been avoided” but lack of baggage checks and enforcement of rules was at fault. “I can recall while travelling by train no baggage check or restrictions enforced. Tragic,” she tweeted.
Investigators said they will be looking at the train’s braking system to determine its condition at the time of the fire. Survivors said the train sped away despite them pulling the emergency cords.
ISLAMABAD: A protest rally led by an influential Pakistani cleric against Prime Minister Imran Khan was postponed for a day on Thursday in the wake of the tragic Lahore train inferno that killed at least 74 people.
Right-wing Jamiat Ulema-e-islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman launched the “Azadi March” along with leaders of other opposition parties on October 27 from the southern Sindh province to arrive in Islamabad on October 31, demanding Khan’s resignation, accusing him of “rigging” the 2018 general elections. Rehman also accused the prime minister of mismanagement of economy, inefficiency and bad governance that has increased hardships of common people.
Senior JUI-F leader Akram Durrani said the rally in Islamabad will now start after the Friday prayers and senior opposition leaders will address it. Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal said the opposition parties decided to postpone the rally in Islamabad due to the tragic train fire. But protesters will continue their journey and will try to reach the capital by tonight, JUI-F leaders said.