62 People Killed On Train In Pakistan Due To Cylinder Blast

ISLAMABAD: At least 62 people were killed and several others injured when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in Southern Punjab Province in Pakistan. The incident took place on Thursday morning, when few passengers started cooking breakfast with a gas stove connected to a cylinder. Due to leakage the cylinder blasted when a fire was lit, the fire engulfed three carriages of the train.

The incident took place near Rahim Yar town in Punjab. Pakistan’s Minister for Railways Sheik Rashid Ahmed told foreign news agencies that two of cooking stoves blew up after some passengers started cooking. The cooking oil which they used has added fuel to the flames which led to blowing of the cylinder.

However, the minister said that most of the deaths took place as the passengers tried to jump from the running train. He further added that cooking in trains during the long journeys is a common phenomenon in Pakistan trains.

The foreign news agencies have attributed the accident to poor maintenance of trains and coaches, which were built during British-era. It has to be mentioned that about 130 people were killed in Sindh Province when two trains collided with each other way back in 2005.