Pakistan train fire: Karachi to Rawalpindi service set ablaze

More than 70 passengers were killed after a fire on a train running from the Pakistani city Karachi to Rawalpindi.

The railway minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said the passengers who had breakfast exploded the gas cylinders and caused a fire.

Blaze is thought to have spread to at least three carriages.

According to officials quoted in local media, many victims jumped down on the burning train and died.

Another 40 people were injured. Officials say deaths can still increase.

The accident occurred near the village of Rahim Yar Khan in southern Punjab.

Many passengers were pilgrims heading to Raiwind near Lahore for one of Pakistan's largest annual religious groups organized by the Tablighi Jamaat Sunni Muslim missionary movement. It is said that the train has been switched to help these religious travelers.

"Two cooking stoves went off. I was cooking. [cooking] Said Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Passengers bringing stoves by train to cook meals on long trips are a common problem, the minister said. It is common to carry food on board, but gas cylinders are prohibited.

The officials were 54 with 11 wagons, 78 with wagons 12 and 13, respectively, most of them headed for religious festivals, mostly from Mirpur Khas.

Regional Deputy Secretary Jamil Ahmed said some of the victims were so badly burned that they could not be identified and that DNA must be used to find out who died.

But according to reports from the site, the problem may be due to electrical problems. Some survivors said they believed the short circuit on the board should be responsible.

"I am deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy," Lim said. On Twitter, he added that he ordered "inquiry immediately."

The Ministry of Railways said the service was restored after suspension was taken shortly after the fire.

Crowded train for long trips

BBC Urdu Avid Hussein

Train travel is one of the most popular modes of transportation in Pakistan, especially between middle and low incomes. Built by the British in the pre-partition era, this track connects the length of the country.

However, some luxury trains have private dining wagons, but most trains are in poor condition and rarely function. Therefore, passengers pick up or pick up refreshments from other train stations that have stopped the train.

They also take advantage of the fact that inspections are more comfortable than at airports, bringing prohibited items such as cooking stoves and oil passages to keep them on board for a long time.

This special service, Tezgam, is one of the oldest and most popular services to travel between Karachi in the south and Rawalpindi in the north. The secondary takes more than 25 hours, and each carriage has a passenger bed between 60 and 80 people, also called a bunk bed. Ticket prices range from 1,500 rupees ($ 9.60; £ 7.40) to 5,000 rupees ($ 32; £ 24.80) depending on the class.

This was the worst railroad disaster in Pakistan for over a decade.

The country has a history of fatal railway accidents. Trains are often filled with more passengers than they were originally designed, so they often have more casualties.

In July, 11 people died in an accident, and in September 4 people died.

In 2007, at least 56 people were killed and more than 120 were injured in a crash near Mehrabpur.

And in 2005, more than 130 people were killed when three trains collided in Sindh in one of the worst train disasters.

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