Eyewitness disputes Sheikh Rashid's claim train fire was caused by cylinder blast

ISLAMABAD: A passenger of Tezgam train has disputed  Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad's statement that the incident took place due to gas cylinders carried by Tableeghi Jamaat members.

In a video that went viral on the Internet, the unnamed person claimed that the fire could not be attributed to the gas cylinder blast since all the cylinders were emptied at the station.

The fire broke out in the AC Sleeper where the cylinders are not allowed, he said adding that they were told by the railway personnel that it was  due to short circuit in ceiling fan.

Also read: 73 passengers killed as Tezgam train catches fire near RYK 

The fan was not repaired despite passage of four days, he claimed.

There were no fire extinguishers in the carriages and rejected the minster’s statement that Tableeghi jamaat passengers were responsible  for  the tragedy.

At least 73 people were killed and dozens wounded after a passenger train erupted in flames in central Pakistan on Thursday, a rescue officer said.

Television footage showed flames pouring out of the carriages as people could be heard crying in the incident near Rahim Yar Khan district in Punjab province.