Baqir Husain, the head of the district rescue service, said the death toll could rise.

People sneaking stoves onto trains in order to prepare meals on long journeys is a common problem, the minister said.

Pakistan's colonial-era railway network has fallen into disrepair in recent decades due to chronic under-investment and poor maintenance.

Eleven people were killed in an accident in July and four in another accident in September.

About 130 people were killed in 2005 when a train rammed into another at a station in Sindh province, and a third train hit the wreckage.