MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) - The Latest on the train fire in Pakistan’s Punjab province (all times local):
1:25 p.m.
A Pakistani official says the death toll from a horrific train fire that broke out after a cooking gas stove used by passengers for cooking breakfast exploded has risen further to 74.
Kaleem Ullah, an official with the district emergency services, says more than 40 others were injured, some critically, following the blaze on the train traveling in eastern Punjab province on Thursday morning.
Survivors said it took the train nearly 20 minutes to come to a halt after the fire broke out and passengers began screaming for help. Some pulled at emergency cords that weave through the train to notify the conductor.
Thursday’s tragedy underscores how Pakistan’s dilapidated train system is badly in need of repairs and maintenance.
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12:45 p.m.
Pakistan’s prime minister has expressed deep sorrow over the “terrible tragedy” when a huge fire engulfed a moving train, killing at least 65 people in eastern Punjab province earlier in the day.
Khan took to Twitter to express his condolences to the families of the victims and say he’s praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The prime minister also ordered an urgent investigation into the incident,
Several women and children were among the victims in the train fire.
Authorities say the fire erupted when a gas stove exploded. They say members of an Islamic preaching group known as Tablighi Jamaat were preparing their meal in violation of railway rules that ban passengers from using gas stoves on trains.
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11 a.m.
A Pakistani rescue official says the death toll from a massive fire that engulfed three carriages of a train traveling in the country’s eastern Punjab province has jumped to 62.
Kaleem Ullah, in charge of the state-run emergency service in the district of Rahim Yar Khan, says several of the injured are in critical condition after being pulled out of the fire on Thursday and that he fears the casualty toll would rise further.
Authorities say the fire erupted when some of the passengers were preparing breakfast on cooking gas stoves they had brought onto the train with them, in violation of rules.
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10:15
A Pakistani government official says the death toll from a massive fire on a train that was traveling in eastern Punjab province has jumped to 46.
Jamil Ahmed, a deputy commissioner in the town of Rahim Yar Khan, says the fire on Thursday was caused by a cooking gas stove.
He says at least 31 passengers were also injured in the accident near the town of Liaquatput in Punjab province.
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9:50 a.m.
Pakistani officials say a massive fire on a train caused by a cooking gas stove has killed at least 16 passengers near the town of Liaquatpur in eastern Punjab province.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad says the fire took place on Thursday when some of the passengers were preparing breakfast on the speeding train in violation of rules.
Rescue officials say they have counted at least 16 bodies while media reports suggest the death toll from the fire has jumped to 25.
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