ISTANBUL, NOV 01 (DNA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, who were killed in the Tezgam Express blaze.

In a tweet, the president also wished a speedy recovery to the wounded survivors.  Earlier on Thursday, 74 passengers were killed while 42 sustained burn injuries as three carriages of a Tezgam Express caught fire due to explosion in a gas stove with cylinder near Talwari Station in Liaquatpur area.

Firefighters launched a rescue operation and doused the fire whereas the affected carriages were also separated from the train. Pakistan Army soldiers also assisted in relief and rescue efforts, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor.

An army helicopter was dispatched from Multan in order to airlift the injured to hospitals. Pakistan’s colonial-era railway network has fallen into disrepair in recent decades due to chronic under-investment and poor maintenance.=DNA

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