73 dead as Tezgam catches fire

*  Railway minister said that gas cylinders caused the fire while some of the passengers claim that it was short circuit. PM orders investigation.

One horrifying event took place near Rahim Yar Khan when three coaches of Tezgam Express were set on fire on Thursday which led to the death of 73 people – most of which were burnt alive – and 40 injured. The train was on its way to Rawalpindi from Karachi and most of the people who died belonged to Tableegi Jamat as they were heading for a religious gathering. The railway ministry claims that the incident took place due to the blasting of a cooking stoves carried by the passengers, while some of the injured passengers say that the fire caught up due a short circuit in the electrical system of the train.

“Two stoves blew up when people were cooking breakfast, the presence of kerosene with the passengers in the moving train further spread the fire,” Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid said. He claimed that people sneak stoves onto the trains in order to cook meals for long journeys. Shortly before the accident took place, the conductor asked the passengers to stop cooking but they ignored him, he added. He further announced a help of 1.5 Million Rupees for families of dead and 0.5 Million for the injured.

On the other hand, some of the accident survivors contradict the statement of Railway minister as they believe that the fire was caused due to a short circuit in the electrical system of the train.

Right after the accident, help started to arrive from the Rescue 1122, local police and the army. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Some of the dead bodies have been identified while the rest will be identified with DNA samples. PM Imran Khan also offered his condolences to the families of effected and he immediately ordered an inquiry for this devastating incident.