LAHORE -- At least 74 people were killed and dozens injured after cooking gas cylinders exploded on a train packed with pilgrims of the annual Tablighi Ijtema in Punjab Province on Thursday (October 31), some dying after leaping from carriages to escape the inferno, authorities said.
Some of the passengers -- many of whom were pilgrims travelling to one of Pakistan's biggest annual religious gatherings -- had been cooking breakfast when two of their gas cylinders exploded, Ali Nawaz, a senior Pakistan Railways official, told AFP.
Many Pakistanis carry food on long train journeys, but gas cylinders are banned, and Nawaz said an inquiry had been ordered.
Firefighters rushed to the scene near Rahim Yar Khan District, extinguishing the blaze. Rescue workers and the army could also be seen.
Pakistan's passenger trains have suffered from various problems, such as under-investment and bombings by various terrorist groups. A remote-controlled bomb killed four Pakistanis on a train in Balochistan in March.
