A fire broke out in the executive coach of a Lahore-bound train during the late hours of Wednesday. At least seven people, including three children and a woman, got killed in the incident.
The incident happened late Wednesday night when a fire broke out in a business-class coach of the Karachi Express train shortly after midnight as it travelled from Karachi to Lahore.
Maqsood Kundi, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Railways, said that they were still trying to ascertain how the fire started in the carriage which was later delinked from the rest of the train.
"So far the number of deaths from the incident has touched seven with three children in it. A woman also died in the incident. The Ministry of Railways has ordered a high-level probe into it," Kundi said.
He said that as soon as the information regarding the incident was received, the train was immediately stopped near Tando Masti Khan station and an emergency was reported to the fire brigade.
According to a railway release, authorities received an alert about a fire in the air-conditioned business coach at around 12.30am. The first fire-fighting vehicles reached the spot at around 1.50am and after a struggle of about 40 minutes, the fire was brought under control, the official said.
Dawn reported that the affected carriage was separated from the train and it resumed its journey to Lahore at 6.45am. The publication reported Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has ordered an inquiry into the incident and constituted a team, headed by the federal government inspector of railways.
Train accidents happen frequently in Pakistan due to the failure of the authorities to keep up with modern times and because of a track system which needs upgrading. In Pakistan, poor passengers often bring their own small gas stoves on the trains to cook their meals, despite rules barring the practice. Safety regulations are often ignored in overcrowded trains.
In 2019, at least 74 passengers were killed when a cooking gas stove exploded on a train in Punjab province.