Pakistan: Train Blaze Leaves 70 Dead
A huge fire that broke out on a train travelling through eastern Pakistan on Thursday, 31 October, has left at least 70 dead.
Reports indicate that the inferno started when a gas canister used for cooking exploded, engulfing the passenger coach that was roaming near the town of Rahim Yar Khan, in southern Punjab.
The fire spread to two other carriages, causing many people to jump from the moving train.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Railways, stated that some of the passengers were using a cooking stove – which violated railway rules – which blew up. He added that the most deaths came from people jumping off the transport, and that many were left critically injured.
The death toll is expected to rise, and an investigation into the explosion will be launched shortly.
The accident is the latest in a long string of incidents plaguing the outdated and poorly maintained railway system in the country.
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