Pakistan train fire: At least 71 killed after gas canister 'being used to cook food' explodes

A massive fire on a train in Pakistan has killed at least 71 people, officials have said.

The huge blaze was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder being used by passengers to cook food, it was reported.

The fire started as the train was approaching the town of Liaquatpur in Punjab and flames quickly ripped through the carriages.

Some of the passengers were reportedly trying to prepare breakfast on the stove as the train was moving.

Survivors recounted horrific scenes of fellow passengers screaming as they jumped through the windows and off the train, flames billowing from the carriages.

Huge blaze: A fire burns a train carriage near the town of Rahim Yar Khan (REUTERS)
Reuters

"We could hear people crying and screaming for help," said Chaudhry Shujaat who had boarded the train just a few hours earlier with his wife and two children. "I thought we would die. The next car was on fire. We felt so helpless."

Footage from the scene of the fire showed a huge blaze raging through the train as firefighters struggled to get it under control.

Deputy Commissioner Jamil Ahmed said the death toll had been rising since the early morning.

He confirmed the fire broke out when a gas stove exploded as breakfast was being prepared on board.

The authorities said they were still trying to identify the victims and that the lists of fatalities and those injured were not ready yet.

Officials said the massive fire was caused by a cooking gas stove (REUTERS)
Reuters

Another train has been dispatched to bring the survivors to the city of Rawalpindi.

Yasmin Rashid, a provincial minister in the Punjab, said medical staff were providing treatment for the injured at a hospital in Liaquatpur.

Those critically injured will be taken ambulances to the city of Multan, the largest city nearest to the site of the accident.

The train was on its way from the southern port city of Karachi to the garrison city of Rawalpindi when the blaze erupted.

Pakistan's military said troops were also participating in the rescue operation.

Train accidents in Pakistan are often the result of poor railway infrastructure and official negligence.

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