Forensic experts have planned to carry out DNA tests to identify most of the victims that were killed in an incident where the fire broke out in Karachi-Rawalpindi Tezgam express train in Liaqatpur near Rahim Yar Khan.

The fire was caused by a cylinder blast that occurred in the morning when some passengers were preparing their breakfast, officials said.

According to survivors, it took nearly 20 minutes for the train to stop following the fire.

Jamil Ahmed, the deputy commissioner of Rahim Yar Khan said the DNA tests were requi­red to identify as many as 52 charred bodies before they could be handed over to relatives for burial, according to the local newspaper.

In Sindh, where most of the victims were from, authorities handed over several identified bodies to relatives for burial on Friday in the town of Mirpurkhas.

Other relatives were seen lining up to give blood samples for DNA tests outside a hospital in Rahim Yar Khan.

Ahmed said that the forensic teams hope to complete the identification process within 48 hours, adding that authorities were investigating the incident, including why it took the train so long to stop.