At least 70 people were killed in a fire on a train in Pakistan early Thursday, reports CNN. Another 30 people were injured. The flames spread quickly after a gas canister exploded as the train passed through the city of Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, local police officer Amir Taimoor said.
It was the worst disaster in 15 years for the country's accident-plagued rail network. Gas canisters are banned on Pakistan trains, but passengers were using gas-powered stoves in a carriage. "Two stoves blew up when people were cooking breakfast," Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Geo television, per Reuters. "The presence of kerosene with the passengers in the moving train further spread the fire." Many passengers reportedly were heading to a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. Read more at CNN and Reuters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Harry Potter is coming to TV: what we know about new HBO showThe Explainer Cillian Murphy as Voldemort? Paapa Essiedu as Snape? All the latest on the huge new series shooting in the UK this summer
-
Dairy milk, once maligned, is making a comebackUnder the Radar Sales of dairy milk were up 2% in 2024
-
6 solid travel mugs and bottles for all excursionsThe Week Recommends Stay hydrated on the go
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
