7 killed in passenger van fire in Pakistan

At least seven people were burnt to death and 14 others injured after a passenger van caught fire in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Saturday, police officials said, reported Xinhua.

The accident happened in Bhalwal city of the province's Sargodha district after a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder fitted in the van leaked and exploded, killing five people on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries on their way to a hospital, police told the local media.

At least 14 passengers sustained burn injuries of various degrees, said the police, adding that women and children were among the victims of the unfortunate incident.

Several bodies were charred beyond recognition in the passenger van fire, an eyewitness told the media.

Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and doused the blaze following the incident. Rescue personnel shifted the injured to a nearby hospital with several persons of them in critical condition.

Police have launched an investigation into the fire.