A fire swept through a Pakistani train killing at least 65 people, police said, after a gas canister passengers were using to cook breakfast exploded. The number of people reported dead has been rising as investigations continue.
The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages near the town of Rahim Yar Khan, in the south of the Punjab province.
People sneaking stoves onto trains in order to prepare meals on long journeys is a common problem, said the Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Pakistan’s colonial-era railway network has fallen into disrepair in recent decades due to chronic under-investment and poor maintenance.
Eleven people were killed in an accident in July and four in another accident in September.
About 130 people were killed in 2005 when a train rammed into another at a station in Sindh province, and a third train hit the wreck