On 27 April 2023, early in the morning, a fire broke out in a coach of the

Karachi Express ''Karachi Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Lahore. The trip takes approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the Karach ...

train, leaving at least seven people dead, including four children and a woman. The event happened as the train was traveling from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

in Sindh's

Khairpur district Khairpur District ( sd, خيرپور ضلعو, ur, ) is a district in the Pakistani province of Sindh in Sukkur Division. At the 2017 census, it was the fifth most populated district in the province after four districts of Karachi city, with ...

near Tando Masti Khan. It is yet unknown what started the fire.

Background

Before the train arrived at the Rohri station, the railway authorities reported that the fire had begun in the

business class Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary, by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between ...

compartment. The train's driver halted travel and began removing passengers. The fire was extinguished, and the rescue mission was over. Following the afflicted cabin's separation from other compartments, the affected train continued on its route to

Khairpur Khairpur( Sindhi and ur, ) is a city and the capital of the Khairpur District, in Pakistan's Sindh province. History The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh, ...

. A woman allegedly perished while attempting to jump from the train to escape the fire, according to the authorities. Khawaja Saad Rafique, Minister of Federal

Railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

and

Aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot ...

, commissioned an investigation into the event. The investigative team arrived in Khairpur to ascertain the origin of the fire and any potential government negligence.

Reactions

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister

Mohsin Naqvi Mohsin Naqvi (10 May 1947 − 15 January 1996) was a Pakistani poet, known for his ghazals. Early life Naqvi was born on 10 May 1947 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan). His father, Syed Chirag Hussain Shah, was a s ...

expressed his sorrow over the loss of lives. He sought a report from the commissioner and RPO

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Paki ...

and directed to take legal action against the driver responsible for the negligence that led to the incident. The CM also instructed that the best medical facilities be provided to those who were injured in the accident. Speaking about the incident during a

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

session, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique suggested that sabotage may have been involved. The minister promised a comprehensive investigation into the incident, which would reveal why the woman had to leap and how long it took the train to halt when the chain was pulled. The minister emphasized the necessity for provincial funding to increase rail safety and security measures in order to prevent further tragedies.

References

{{coord missing, Pakistan

Accidents and incidents involving Pakistan Railways Disasters in Sindh Fires in Pakistan April 2023 events in Pakistan Khairpur District

Train and rapid transit fires Vehicle fires in Asia

Background

Reactions

See also

References