Bring bodies of Tezgam fire victims back to Sindh: CM

Expressing grief and sorrow over the Tezgam fire incident on Thursday, Sindh’s chief minister directed the divisional administrations of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas and Karachi to keep in touch with the railway authorities and the Bahawalpur commissioner to transport back the deceased and the injured belonging to Sindh.

CM Syed Murad Ali Shah told the commissioners of different divisions of the province that more than 40 passengers of the ill-fated express train hailed from Karachi, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas.

Shah said that their families have been running from pillar to post to get firsthand information about their loved ones aboard the train. He directed Hyderabad Commissioner Abbas Baloch to set up a special desk at the district commissioner’s office for the aggrieved families to get the necessary information.

The chief executive also directed him to make the necessary arrangements for the shifting of the bodies and the injured from Rahim Yar Khan back to Sindh. He also issued a similar order to the commissioners of Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur.

Through his Principal Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, the CM offered every possible support and assistance to the railway authorities and the Punjab government for the retrieval of bodies from the train and the treatment of the passengers who had suffered burns.

Shah said his government and the people of the province were in great shock to see such a huge loss of lives in the train fire incident. “May Almighty Allah save our people and the country from such horrible incidents.”

At least 74 people were killed and dozens of others injured after cooking gas cylinders exploded near Rahim Yar Khan’s Liaquatpur area, reported Geo News.

The Tezgam train was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi when the gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploded, killing and injuring the passengers. The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages, including two economy class carriages and one business class carriage.

Ali Nawaz, a senior Pakistan Railways official, said that some passengers were cooking breakfast when two of their gas cylinders exploded.