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 and dozens injured, according to provincial health minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
The incident occurred near Rahim Yar Khan district in Punjab province, where television footage showed flames pouring out of the carriages as people cried for help.
"According to information reaching us from the site of the accident, more than 65 people were killed and over 40 injured," Dr. Rashid told AFP.
The wounded were rushed to hospitals in the nearby city of Bahawalpur and elsewhere in Rahim Yar Khan district, with only 18 of the bodies being identifiable.
Human rights minister Shireen Mazari described the incident as a 'terrible... train tragedy with a gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploding.'
Local media reported that some passengers had been cooking breakfast when the cylinder exploded.
The train involved in the accident was the Tezgam, one of Pakistan's oldest and most popular train services, which runs between Rawalpindi and Karachi.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where the railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement, and lack of investment.
