Tragic!!! At least 71 dead after cooking stoves explode on Pakistan train

At least 71 people have died after two gas cooking stoves exploded on a train in Pakistan.

An official from the emergency services said of the 43 people injured, 11 were still in critical condition.

The ensuing fire destroyed three of the train's carriages as it approached the town of Liaquatpur in Punjab.

Several of the injured jumped off the train, many to their deaths, after the fire broke out.

Minister for railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said some of the passengers were trying to prepare breakfast on the stove as the train was moving, violating railway rules.

He told Geo TV: "Two cooking stoves blew up. They were cooking, they had [cooking] oil which added fuel to fire."

He added: "Most deaths occurred from people jumping off the train."

Mr Ahmed said that passengers with little money often bring their own small gas stoves on the trains to cook their meals, despite the rules.

Media reports suggested that railway officials did not notice passengers carrying individual gas stoves onto the train. However, safety regulations are often ignored on overcrowded trains.

TV footage from the scene showed the flames raging through the train as firefighters struggled to get it under control.

Another train has been dispatched to bring stranded passengers to the city of Rawalpindi.

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