At least 7 killed in fire on passenger train in Pakistan

At least seven people including four children are dead after a moving passenger train car caught fire overnight in southern Pakistan, local residents said. A railways spokesperson said the train caught fire in Khairpur district, about 500 kilometers north of Karachi. It was headed to the easter city of Lahore.

The blaze also damaged several other train cars, its cause remained unclear. Local media reported that the flames roared through the train Wednesday night, engulfing several cars.In Pakistan, poor passengers often bring their own small gas stoves on the trains to cook their meals, despite rules against it.Safety rules are often ignored in overcrowded trains.

Train accidents in Pakistan are often the result of poor railway infrastructure and official negligence.In 2019, at least 74 passengers were killed and dozens were injured in a train fire triggered when a cooking gas stove exploded in the eastern Punjab province.