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The burning of a train in Pakistan killed more than 70 people, according to local authorities, as well as dozens of people wounded. The fire spread at a crazy speed in this express convoy. The explosion of a gas cylinder used for cooking is at the origin of the incident.
From our correspondent in Islamabad, Sonia Ghezali
The images taken by onlookers along the way are impressive. A whole train, green and white, is literally devoured by the flames and thick clouds of smoke surround the train in the middle of the road near Liaqatpur, a small town in southern Punjab.
The fire was triggered by the explosion of a gas stove used by passengers preparing their breakfast. The fire spread very quickly. The minister in charge of rail transport indicates that the train was crowded. Witnesses say they saw panicked passengers jumping out the windows trying to escape the flames.
With no hospitals nearby, the authorities said they were mobilizing helicopters to transport the victims. The hospital center of Multan is the closest to the scene of the tragedy. The Tezgam express line connected the city of Karachi, in the south of the country to Rawalpindi, south of the capital.
Accidents are common on railway lines in Pakistan due to lack of maintenance. Some also question the prevailing security laxity on regional lines.