A fire broke out in the luggage compartment of Khushhal Khan Khattak Express train on Friday morning at Shahnawaz Bhutto Railways station.
The fire created panic among passengers. As the train arrived at the railway station from Karachi at 7.50 am, it caught the fire. The passengers and the railway station staff came out of their rooms and quickly shifted the material of the passengers from the affected bogie to the platform and parked it near railway crossing. The compartment was next to the train engine.
The citizens also arrived in a large number and watched it burning. They informed the fire brigade of Naundero Municipality which also arrived well on time and started extinguishing the fire. The situation was brought under control. However, furniture, bags with green chilies and other material worth one hundred thousand rupees was completely burnt.
Passenger Abdul Rahman, and retired police inspector Muhammad Ismail, who was coming from Sehwan and going to Layya, Ghulam Fareed, and Haji Muhammad Azam, who were going from Karachito to Rajanpur, told media that smoke was billowing out of the compartment before arrival of the train at the railway station but nobody paid any heed to it and train continued to moving. When it reached Shahnawaz Bhutto railway station, suddenly it caught fire, they said.
Station Master Abdul Jabbar Memon said he was unaware of the cause of fire but it broke out in the bogie and they had extinguished it with the help of local fire fighters. He said burnt material had been removed from the compartment and shifted on the platform.