At least 70 people died and dozens were injured after a fire broke out on a passenger train in Pakistan this morning.
Witnesses said they heard trapped passengers crying and screaming and footage found, showed three of the carriages consumed by flames, with smoke pouring out of the windows.
According to railways minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, most of the deaths were due to passengers throwing themselves from the moving train to escape the fire.
The cause of the incident was the explosion of a gas canister that was illegally brought on to the train; used by passengers to cook breakfast on a stove.
“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 said.
Mansoor Ahmed, the assistant commissioner of the nearby city of Multan, confirmed the death toll stood at 70 so far, with more than 40 injured, many critically.
Nine people were airlifted to the burns unit at Multan district hospital before rescue workers and officials began sifting through the wreckage for victims.
Local hospitals struggled to accommodate the mass amount of victims. Mansoor Ahmed confirmed the nearby Rahim Yar Khan district hospital was unable to take in the number of casualties; several had to be taken, three hours away, to Multan district hospital.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy of the Tezgam train. My condolences go to the victims’ families and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. I have ordered an immediate inquiry to be completed on an urgent basis.”
Incidents on trains are common in Pakistan, where corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment have caused the railways to decline over the past few decades. Overcrowding is also a frequent safety issue and while it is illegal to bring a gas canister on board a train carriage, the breaking of such rules are often overlooked.
Picture: WMAR
