Over 105 killed and injured in one of the worst ever incident in the history of Pakistan railways
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ISLAMABAD - The death toll from a fire in three bogies of a Tezgam train near Liaquatpur city jumped to 65, while many remain under critical condition, Rahim Yar Khan district government said on Thursday.
"According to the information reaching us from site of the accident, more than 65 people were killed and over 40 injured," Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid told *AFP*.
Women and children are among the victims — none of whom have been identified yet. The dead and injured are being shifted to DHQ Hospital in Liaquatpur. Some of the injured have also been shifted to Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur due to their critical condition.
The train was bound from Karachi to Rawalpindi, *Radio Pak* reported link. The fire was caused by a cylinder blast that occurred in the morning when passengers were preparing their breakfast, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid said and added that they belonged to a *tableeghi jamaat* who were headed towards Raiwand. Many people saved their lives by jumping off the train, the minister said.
In a video message, Rashid announced that a compensation of Rs1.5 million will be paid to the heirs of the dead while Rs500,000 will be provided to those who are injured.
He said that two of the coaches that caught fire were booked under the name of *tableeghi jammat's* emir Hussain and added that the ministry was preparing a list of the victims. Rashid said that it was a "failure" on the part of the Railways authorities since they failed to carry out thorough checking of the passengers' luggage.
