At least 65 people were killed and 30 others injured as a massive fire broke out on a train in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Thursday after a gas canister carried by a passenger exploded.
The train, Tezgam, was on its way to Rawalpindi from Karachi when the fire broke out, destroying three of the train’s carriages, including two economy class carriages and one business class carriage at Liaquatpur near Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab province.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that a gas stove blew up when some of the passengers were preparing breakfast on the speeding train in violation of rules.
At least 65 people killed and 30 others injured in the fire, District Police Officer Rahim Yar Khan Ameer Taimoor Khan said. Most deaths occurred from people jumping off the train, he added. The death toll may increase as the condition of several injured is very critical, the official said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan while expressing his condolences directed the authorities to ensure the provision of best medical treatment for the injured.
