This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 31, 2019, a devastating train fire in central Pakistan left at least 65 people dead.
The Tezgam Express, a train traveling from Karachi to Rawalpindi, caught fire around 6:30 a.m. near a railway station at Liaquat Pur in the southern province of Punjab.
According to officials, the fire was caused by an explosion of a gas cylinder being used by passengers to prepare breakfast, which is against regulations.
Many passengers in the economy cars belonged to Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic evangelical group, and were traveling to attend an annual congregation near Lahore.
Sheikh Rashid Rashid, Pakistan's minister of railways, attributed the fire to the passengers' actions, stating, 'It is not the fault of Pakistan Railways. The passengers are responsible for this.'
However, the national rail system has faced numerous accidents and scandals in recent years, with safety measures often being ignored.
— This is a developing story and will be updated.
