At least 73 people died in a serious train accident in southeastern pakistan. At least 42 others were injured, a representative of the rescue forces, baqir hussain, said on thursday.
A gas stove brought by passengers exploded while passengers were preparing breakfast, said railroad minister shaikh rashid ahmed.
At least three train cars were set on fire by the explosion. People then jumped from the fast-moving train to save themselves, the minister added. Pictures and videos in local media showed the wagons after the train had come to a standstill. They burned brightly. Dozens of people stood helplessly in front of meter-high flames that leapt out of the train windows.
The train was on its way from the southern metropolis of karachi to the eastern city of lahore. The journey takes between 15 and 18 hours. 20.000 to 50.000 people travel between the two cities every day, a second-class ticket costs about nine euros. Train travel is unpopular with pakistanis because of regular accidents and constant delays. They are used mainly by those who wanted to save money.
How passengers were able to bring the deadly gas stove onto the train is now to be investigated clearly. Carrying gas stoves is actually forbidden. Nabila aslam, a railroad official, told "dawn" that the passengers had probably hidden the gas cylinder under their clothes when boarding the train.
Many of the victims were members of a group of islamic preachers who were attending a religious gathering in the nearby city of lahore, minister ahmed said. These groups often travel with 200 to 500 people and carry cooking utensils and food for their multi-day journeys. They are also difficult to control because of their group size.
Rescue worker hussain said the bulk of the victims were burned in the wagons. More people died when they jumped off the moving train. At least 17 victims have been ordered to undergo DNA tests to identify them, as their bodies were burned beyond recognition. Six people with severe burns were treated in a burn intensive care unit.
Hussain feared that the number of victims would continue to rise. Around 200 passengers were traveling in the three affected carriages, a representative of the railroad said.
While victims were still being rescued from the wagons, a discussion began in the sudasian country about how the accident could have happened. Human rights minister shireen mazari wrote on twitter that the tragedy could have been avoided. She could not recall any train journey where packing controls or other prohibitions were enforced. This was "tragic.
Many pakistanis printed their anger on social media. They criticized the negligence of the passengers and the railroad minister ahmed. They asked him to resign.
The accident is already the third in a few months: in july, at least 23 people were killed in a collision between a passenger train and a good wagon. Only a few weeks before three people had died in a train accident. At that time the minister said he would take the responsibility.
According to "dawn," the minister traveled to the site of the accident on thursday to meet with the injured and relatives of the victims. He had also promised them compensation payments. Prime minister imran khan expressed his grief over the incident on twitter and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He had ordered an immediate investigation into the accident.