At least 62 people were killed and several were injured on early Thursday morning after the Tezgam Express caught fire near Rahim Yar Khan.
The train, Tezgam, was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi. Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the fire was caused by a cylinder blast that occurred in the morning when passengers were preparing their breakfast. The fire spread to three bogies of the train. ."Two cooking stoves blew up. They were cooking, they had cooking oil which added fuel to fire," the minister said.
The injured and dead have been shifted to BVH Bahawalpur and Pak-Italian Modern Burn Centre in Multan. Baqir Husain, the head of the district rescue service, said the death toll could rise.
46 people have lost their lives in the #Tezgam train accident. #Pakistan#Tezgam #RahimYarKhan pic.twitter.com/r0QUUEzroU
— Shah Ziaulhaq (@The6415) October 31, 2019
Rescue teams teams are busy in extinguishing the fire. A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations said that Army troops including doctors and paramedics have also been dispatched to assist rescue teams in the operation.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives and has ordered that the injured be provided top of the line medical care.
Deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy of the Tezgam train. My condolences go to the victims' families & prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. I have ordered an immediate inquiry to be completed on an urgent basis.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 31, 2019