73 KILLED IN PAK TRAIN INFERNO, 40 INJURED
Passengers say it took nearly 20 minutes for train to stop
A fire swept through a Pakistani intercity train on Thursday, killing 73 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.
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.