At least seven people died on Thursday after a Karachi Express train bogie caught fire near Tando Masti Khan in Sindh’s Khairpur district.

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said that passengers including three children lost their lives while four others went missing when a passenger coach of the train caught fire.

Following the incident, the train was stopped near the Tando Masti Khan station and the fire was brought under control after 40 minutes.

The ministry said that the affected carriage was separated from the train, which resumed its journey to Lahore at 6:45am.

Timeline of major train accidents in Pakistan since 2015

The statement further said that one of the victims was a 70-year-old woman who was injured when she attempted to jump from the blazing carriage. The press release added that she later succumbed to her injuries.

The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained.

Pakistan Railways has for long held the dubious reputation of being unsafe, and obsolete in terms of infrastructure. In the last few years alone, hundreds of passengers have lost their lives.

In October 2019, 73 people were killed and 40 injured after three bogies of a Tezgam train caught fire near Liaquatpur in Rahim Yar Khan.