LIAQUATPUR:Seventy-three people were killed and 50 others injured when a fire erupted in Tezgam train near Liaquatpur town of Punjab on Thursday morning.
The train was on its way to Rawalpindi from Karachi when it caught fire due to a cylinder blast. The death toll could rise further as many injured were in critical condition. Among the passengers, many of whom were religious pilgrims travelling to a congregation in Lahore. They were cooking breakfast when a cylinder exploded, the initial reports said. The fire engulfed three bogies in short span of time and burnt them. The women and children were among the victims.
The rescue teams reached the site of the incident some late and extinguished the fire. The people of nearby areas also rushed to the scene and took part in the rescue operation. Dozens of people were crowded onto the tracks staring at the burning carriages, which had been disconnected from the rest of the train. Fire was blamed on explosion of gas cylinder carried by a passenger.
The bodies and injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, where condition of several injured was stated to be critical.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where the railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.
In July, at least 23 people were killed in the same district when a passenger train coming from the eastern city of Lahore rammed into a goods train that had stopped at a crossing. Accidents often happen at unmanned crossings, which frequently lack barriers and sometimes signals.