World

BAMAKO — Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Monday declared three days of mourning after a militant attack on an army base killed more than 40 soldiers last week in one of the deadliest strikes on the country's military. 

Daesh-allied militants claimed Friday's attack on Indelimane base in the northeast of the country near the border with Niger, which authorities say killed 49 soldiers.

It was the latest assault on target Mali's military which is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that began in the north and spread to the centre of the country. At least 40 troops were killed a month ago in a double attack near the Burkina Faso border. 

A presidential communique read on national radio said Boubacar had declared three days of mourning, though the Malian leader has still has not spoken publicly about the Indelimane attack.

Daesh-allied militants claimed responsibility for the Indelimane strike during which gunmen on motorbikes attacked the base in three different groups, according to Malian army sources and a UN document seen by AFP.

Over the weekend, two more Malian soldiers were also killed by a roadside bomb and a French soldier was also killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

France still has around 4,500 troops in the country as part of its Barkhane operation and is looking to hand more responsibility to local forces.

French Armed Forces Minister, Florence Parly, on an official visit to the Sahel called for "patience" in the battle against the militants.

"This is a fight where we have to have patience," she said on a visit to Barkhane operations in the Chad capital N'Djamena. "We still need time for the local forces to build up their resilience."

Neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger have also been infiltrated by insurgents, at the cost of hundreds of lives.

The G5 Sahel, a five-country joint taskforce set up in 2014 to tackle the militant threat, is also active in the region. It comprises troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad.

NEW DELHI — New Delhi banned half the Indian capital's private cars from its roads on Monday as the megacity's 20 million people spluttered with stinging eyes in the worst pollution in three years.

As smog levels exceeded those of Beijing by more than three times, authorities also parked a van with an air purifier near the Taj Mahal — the iconic 17th-century marble mausoleum 250 kilometres south of Delhi — in a bid to clean the air in its surrounds.

With the pollution causing a rush of respiratory complaints at hospitals and the diversion of 37 flights on Sunday, a new law came into effect restricting cars from the capital's roads to alternative days, depending on if their number plate ends in an odd or even number. 

More than 600 police teams were deployed at road intersections in the capital with the power to hand out fines of 4,000 rupees (nearly $60) to transgressors.

Exempt from the restrictions were Delhi's seven million motorbikes and scooters, public transport and cars carrying only women, stoking criticism that the measures were ineffective.

"There is smoke everywhere and people, including youngsters, kids, elderly are finding it difficult to breathe," Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a Twitter video. "Eyes are burning. Pollution is that bad."

Construction was banned temporarily late last week in the world's most polluted capital city, while schools have been closed until Wednesday, with the city government handing out free pollution masks to children.

"I have a headache every day I wake up. It's suffocating to breathe sometimes. And inflammation in the nostrils and all. And eyes also. Like it kind of burns," Ankusha Kushi, a student, told AFP.

As Delhiites woke up on Monday, levels of particulates measuring less than 2.5 microns — so tiny they enter deep into the respiratory tract — were at 613 microgrammes per cubic metre of air, according to the US embassy in Delhi.

Deadly over long term 

The World Health Organisation's recommended safe daily maximum is a reading of 25.

In central Delhi, the state air quality institute rated levels of the tiny particulates — which can be deadly over the long term — as "severe".

Bollywood megastar Priyanka Chopra Jonas posted a selfie in pollution mask on Instagram and said it was "hard to shoot" in Delhi.

"I can't even imagine what it must be like to live here under these conditions. We r blessed with air purifiers and masks. Pray for the homeless," she posted.

Fourteen Indian cities including the capital are among the world's top 15 most polluted cities, according to the World Health Organisation. 

One study last year said that a million Indians died prematurely every year as a result.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday apologised for not taking Britain out of the European Union by October 31, while Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage said he will not stand in next month’s general election.

“It is a matter of deep regret,” Johnson told Sky News, before criticising US President Donald Trump for saying his Brexit deal with Brussels would prevent a future Britain/US trade agreement.

“I don’t wish to cast any aspersions on the president, but in that respect he is patently in error,” Johnson said.

“Anybody who looks at our deal can see it is a great deal... it allows us to have full unfettered control of our tariff schedule”.

Trump on Thursday told friend Farage — whose Brexit Party will be up against Johnson in the December 12 election — that “under certain aspects of the deal — you can’t do it, you can’t trade”.

Farage said on Sunday he will not seek to become an MP in next month’s vote, but that his party would challenge the Tories across the country.

“Do I find a seat, try and get myself into parliament? Or do I serve the cause better traversing the length and breadth of the United Kingdom supporting 600 candidates — I’ve decided that the last course is the right one,” he told BBC’s Andrew Marr.

The Brexit Party was formed earlier this year to fight the European parliamentary elections, where it emerged as the runaway winner.

But Farage, who has been a member of the European Parliament since 1999, has already tried to become an MP on seven occasions, losing out each time.

Johnson rules out pact 

Farage has been a harsh critic of Johnson’s deal but has called for an election pact with the Conservatives, even as the prime minister ruled out such a deal.

“I ruled out a pact with everybody because I don’t think that it’s sensible,” said Johnson.

“What I can say respectfully to the leaders of all other parties is, alas, the only likely consequence of voting for them, rather than for us as Conservatives is that you’re making it more likely that you will thereby get [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn.”

With the Tories relying on Brexit supporters to gain a majority on December 12, a strong showing by Farage’s party threatens to split the leave vote and open the door for the Labour Party.

But Farage kept up his opposition to Johnson’s deal, carrying a two-page advert in the Sunday Express which said that “Boris’ deal is not Brexit”.

People “need to understand that, actually, what’s on offer is a close linkage with all the European institutions, a next negotiating phase of at least three years”, he told Marr.

Johnson had vowed he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than tolerate another extension to the tortuous Brexit process, which began in 2016 after a knife-edge public referendum.

On Sunday, he blamed Britain’s failure to leave as scheduled on October 31 on parliament passing what he called the “Surrender Act”.

This demanded that the government ask for, and accept, a delay from the European Union rather than leave without the deal being ratified.

MPs gave provisional support for his deal, but derailed Johnson’s plans to get the bill through parliament before the deadline day, leading him to push for the December 12 vote to break the impasse.

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka’s election commission chief on Sunday backed down from plans to censor a state-owned TV station following criticism that his actions were supporting the main opposition candidate at this month’s presidential polls.

In a surprise move, commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya had banned any political programming on the Independent Television Network (ITN) after accusing the channel of harming the campaign of frontrunner Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

“After considering many representations by several parties that my order was discriminatory, I revoke the [censorship] order issued on ITN,” Deshapriya said in a letter to the broadcaster, seen by AFP.

The censorship order, which had been due to come into effect midnight Sunday, came after ITN aired a programme alleging loyalists to the previous regime thwarted a corruption probe into strongman ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse’s family.

Independent poll-monitoring group the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said privately-owned TV stations were worse than ITN in violating campaign laws and in supporting one candidate over others.

“We have always maintained that it is discriminatory to target only state-run media because the bigger offenders are the private channels,” PAFFREL chief Rohana Hettiarachchi told AFP.

He said his organisation was instead calling for the strict implementation of campaign rules on all media outlets.

“They are all using frequencies which belong to all people of this country,” he said.

“Therefore all have a responsibility to provide balanced coverage without breaking campaign laws.”

The censorship ordered by Deshapriya on ITN applied to live coverage of any event. It was the first time a Sri Lankan election chief has ordered censorship of a TV station.

Official sources said the unprecedented media ban also caused friction within the three-member Election Commission, with at least one commissioner openly challenging Deshapriya and accusing him of acting arbitrarily.

“The restriction on ITN was Stalinist,” commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole told AFP.

“The correct thing would have been to impose heavy fines for violations... whether by private or state media.”

The commission last week said it received many complaints about other channels campaigning for Rajapakse without declaring their bias, but could not take action as they were all private networks.

Gotabhaya Rajapakse was defence secretary for a decade until his president brother Mahinda was voted out in 2015.

The opposition candidate is the current favourite, even though his bid is widely seen as a front to get Mahinda — barred from contesting the election because of a two-term limit — back into power.

Mahinda’s rule was marked by the end of a bloody civil war against ethnic Tamil rebels, and an international outcry over alleged human rights violations by Sri Lankan troops.

The election has attracted a record 35 candidates, with nearly 16 million people eligible to vote.

Last week, the commission said it was working with Facebook to take down posts that defamed election candidates.

GLASGOW — Thousands rallied in Glasgow on Saturday calling for Scotland to become an independent country, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon telling the crowds that their goal was "within touching distance".

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader was the headline speaker at the event in George Square, the first time she has addressed an independence rally since the 2014 referendum campaign, with a crucial general election looming next month.

"Make no mistake, the general election we face now on December 12 is the most important election for Scotland in our lifetimes," she told the crowds.

"The future of our country is on the line.

"We must come out in our numbers and vote in this election," she added, insisting that the "prize" of independence was "within touching distance".

"We must seize that prize," she urged.

Sturgeon is expected, before Christmas, to formally ask Johnson for a Section 30 order, which would give Scotland's devolved government permission to stage a referendum.

Supporters waved the St Andrews cross emblazoned with the word "Yes" and Catalan flags in solidarity with the fellow independence campaign.

Others wore kilts and played bagpipes, including one musician who had flames leaping from his instrument.

Scotland voted against independence in a 2014 referendum by 55 per cent.

But nationalists argue that the 2016 British referendum in favour of Brexit means another independence referendum is necessary — because Scotland voted by 62 per cent to stay in the European Union (EU).

Nationalists also argue that some people voted against independence thinking it would guarantee their place inside the EU.

Sturgeon promised supporters on Saturday to "lead you to an independence reference next year".

"It's time for Scotland to choose our own future, time for Scotland to be an independent country," she added.

A small number of pro-Union protesters carrying Union Jack flags staged a counterdemonstration.

SOFIA — Bulgaria on Saturday said it would summon France's ambassador to Sofia on Monday after comments about immigration by French President Emmanuel Macron sparked outrage.

Ambassador Florence Robine would be asked for an explanation of the remarks in which Macron spoke of "clandestine networks of Bulgarians and Ukrainians", Ivan Dimov, an advisor to Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, said.

Zaharieva had also asked Bulgaria's ambassador to Paris Angel Cholakov to hand in a protest note to the French ministry of foreign affairs in Paris.

The row comes after an interview appeared last week in the French magazine Valeurs Actuelles.

Ukraine summoned France's ambassador to Kiev on Friday for an explanation with the Ukrainian foreign ministry later stating on its website that the ambassador said Macron's words were taken out of context.

In the interview, Macron said that he favoured legal quota-based migration to illegal workers adding that he preferred to have migrants from Guinea or Ivory Coast who worked in a legal way rather than "clandestine networks of Bulgarians and Ukrainians".

Macron's remarks were was run by several Bulgarian media outlets on Saturday, sparking an angry reaction from Bulgarian vice premier Krasimir Karakachanov, also the leader of the nationalist VMRO Party.

"Nobody has the right to insult the Bulgarian and the Ukrainian people," Karakachanov said, adding the statement was "a new manifestation of political arrogance".

Bulgaria is particularly opposed to the European Commission's mobility package aimed at fighting illegal practices in road transport and improve working conditions for drivers.

The reform, referred to as "the Macron package" is seen by Bulgarian road hauliers as discriminatory and an attempt to do away with competition in the sector from companies coming from central and eastern Europe.

WASHINGTON — Congress formally opened a new, public phase of its corruption investigation into Donald Trump on Thursday as US lawmakers voted for the first time to advance the impeachment process targeting the US president.

"Today the House takes the next step forward as we establish the procedures for open hearings... so that the public can see the facts for themselves," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

"What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy."

The top Democrat and Trump's chief nemesis in Congress addressed fellow lawmakers shortly before her chamber took a Halloween morning vote along party lines — 232 to 196 — to pass a resolution that lays out rules for the next stages of the impeachment process.

Trump has repeatedly branded the process as illegitimate and politically motivated and, true to form, his reaction was swift.

"The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" he boomed on Twitter.

He called on Republicans to rally behind him even as he faced the embarrassing likelihood of becoming the third president in history to be impeached and placed on trial for removal in the Senate, over an alleged extortion scheme to obtain Ukraine's help to get him reelected in 2020.

The embattled president retweeted a rallying cry from Fox News host Laura Ingraham that called on Republicans to "stand together and defend the leader of their party against these smears".

“This farce should never be allowed to roll into a winter show trial,” read the tweet — suggesting Trump would want the Republican leadership in the Senate to shut the process down.

Holding Trump ‘accountable’ 

Trump is accused of withholding military aid to compel Ukraine to mount an embarrassing corruption probe against his Democratic election rival Joe Biden — effectively using US foreign policy in an illegal shakedown for his personal political benefit.

Trump and loyal Republicans dismiss the case as a “sham”, but congressional investigators have heard a steady flow of corroborating evidence from government officials testifying behind closed doors on Capitol Hill.

The landmark resolution did not have unanimous Democratic approval. Two Democrats joined all Republicans in opposing the measure, although former Republican Justin Amash, now an independent, supported it.

The inquiry now moves into the public eye — giving Americans the chance to hear on live television the evidence against Trump.

The House Intelligence Committee, which has led the inquiry so far, will host open hearings, presenting witnesses and documentary evidence and allowing Republicans to challenge the case against Trump.

The minority can also suggest subpoenas but majority Democrats have final say, a rule that has angered Republicans.

“Trying to put a ribbon on a sham process doesn’t make it any less of a sham,” House Republican Jim Jordan fumed.

Democrats argue that the vote neutralises a key Republican talking point that the inquiry has no validity because the full House did not sign on.

Neither the House rules nor the US Constitution require such a vote to start an impeachment inquiry.

If the case against Trump is deemed strong enough, the House Judiciary Committee will draw up formal charges against the president — articles of impeachment — to be voted on by the full House.

That process could be completed by year end. The Democrat-controlled House is expected to approve impeachment, which would then see Trump go on trial for removal in the Senate, where Republicans have a majority.

Democrats dismissed the charges that the process is partisan.

“There is serious evidence that President Trump may have violated the Constitution,” said Jim McGovern, chairman of the House Rules Committee which drew up the resolution.

“If we don’t hold this president accountable, we could be ceding our ability to hold any president accountable.”

Witnesses back allegations 

Nearly a dozen witnesses so far have confirmed in House depositions the accusations that, in a concerted effort with top aides and his personal lawyer, Trump pressured Ukraine to help his reelection effort in 2020 by producing dirt on Biden, the former vice president.

The allegations focus on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to open investigations into Biden and Biden’s son, who worked with a Ukraine energy firm.

Tim Morrison, the White House National Security Council’s top Russia expert, arrived on Capitol Hill on Thursday to be deposed.

According to other witnesses, Morrison, who resigned late Wednesday, has personal knowledge of the White House effort to freeze military aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelensky to launch the political investigations.

Investigators also have called on Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton to testify, along with two White House national security lawyers.

Bolton, other witnesses have said, disagreed strongly with Trump’s tactics toward Ukraine and the involvement of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine policy.

SANTIAGO — Chile pulled out of hosting two major international summits on Wednesday as it struggled to restore order after more than ten days of civil unrest that left at least 23 dead.

President Sebastian Pinera said "common sense" dictated the decision to withdraw from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the Cop 25 climate change conference.

US President Donald Trump had said he was planning to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to lock down a "phase one" agreement at the November 16-17 APEC meeting that would partially have ended an 18-month trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

The White House said it looked forward to finalising an agreement "within the same timeframe", although analysts Eurasia Group said that may not happen until the end of the year.

APEC said it supported Chile's decision but gave no indication there would be a replacement summit this year, saying only that Malaysia would host the 2020 event.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin had also been due to attend APEC, while teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was among 25,000 delegates expected for
COP 25.

The final of South American football's premier club competition, the Copa Libertadores, between Argentine holders River Plate and Brazilian giants Flamengo will go ahead on November 23 in Santiago, Chile's sports ministry said.

After more than 10 days of street protests, Pinera said Chile was not in a position to host either the APEC summit or the December 2-13 climate convention.

The pullout is seen as a blow to Chile's tourism industry, and the Santiago stock exchange dropped 2.8 points while the peso fell to its lowest rate against the dollar since 2003.

"This has been a very difficult decision, a decision that has been deeply painful because we know exactly how important APEC and COP are for Chile and the world," said Pinera.

"When a father has problems, he must always prioritise his family over other options. The same goes for a president, he must always put his own compatriots first, ahead of any other considerations," he added.

Public anger 

Chile is grappling with its worst social crisis in decades, one that shows little sign of abating despite Pinera announcing a raft of measures aimed at placating protesters.

Demonstrators have demanded that the 69-year-old right-wing leader — whose personal fortune is estimated by Forbes at $2.8 billion — step down.

They have been angered by low salaries and pensions, poor public healthcare and education, and a yawning gap between rich and poor.

Pinera announced last week an increase in the minimum wage and pensions as well as measures to alleviate sky-high health care costs and a streamlining of public offices.

"I'm not rejecting any structural reform," Pinera said on Wednesday. "This is the time to listen to the people."

On Monday, he reshuffled his Cabinet for the third time since coming to power in March 2018, but the street movement continues.

Protests began on October 18 and during the first few days there was widespread destruction, arson and looting.

Demonstrations have been largely calm over the last week but there were violent clashes between demonstrators and security services on Monday, when shops were looted and a building set on fire.

Huge numbers took to the streets on Wednesday, with the country semi-paralysed as numerous shops and businesses remained closed.

Canceling the two major international events is more likely to backfire than to placate the demonstrators, University of Chile analyst Octavio Avendano told AFP.

He said it would be seen "as a sign of weakness and a sharpening of the conflict".

Chilean prosecutors announced on Wednesday night that they were conducting investigations into the deaths of 23 people during the crisis.

Sixteen of the dead were killed "during the alleged commission of so-called 'common' crimes", five people "by actions of agents of the state" and two "under state custody", prosecutors said on Twitter.

Previously, the official death toll had stood at 20.

A mission led by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet — Chile's former president — is expected to open a probe later this week into allegations of police brutality.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Hernan Larrain admitted on Tuesday that the government recognised that some incidents involving law enforcement during the protests "appear to be human rights violations".

Amnesty International has expressed concern about claims of "sexual torture", reports of eye injuries and situations in which police or military action directly led to a death.

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed his opposition Labour rival for Britain’s failure to leave the European Union by Thursday’s deadline and promised to deliver Brexit by January — if he wins the upcoming pre-Christmas election.

Johnson is riding high in opinion polls going into the December 12 vote that will be Britain’s third in four years.

But he risks a backlash over his unkept “do or die” promise to take Britain out by October 31 — and again set himself up for another potential fall by promising to meet the next deadline.

The Conservative leader, who wants no more delays to the process, cast himself as a victim of parliamentary opposition parties that refused to follow the wishes of UK voters who chose to leave Europe in the knife-edge 2016 referendum.

“After three-and-a-half years, it was perfectly obvious to me that this parliament is just not going to vote Brexit through,” Johnson said during a campaign stop at a hospital.

“If you vote for us and we get our programme through, which we will — as a I say, it’s oven-ready, it’s there to go — we can be out, at the absolute latest, by January next year.”

‘It’s not about me’ 

Pro-EU campaigners and business executives breathed a sigh of relief that Britain had been given a stay of execution to avoid a Halloween Brexit nightmare that could have seen it crash out of the bloc after 46 years without a plan.

Johnson confounded expectations by securing a revised EU divorce deal that Brussels had long refused to touch.

But he was forced to follow through on parliamentary orders and ask EU leaders for more time after Labour mustered enough cross-party support to extend parliamentary debates and delay a final vote.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would throw out Johnson’s plan and get Brexit “sorted” within the first six months of grabbing power by negotiating more EU-friendly separation terms.

He would then put it up for a vote against the option of simply staying the 27-nation bloc.

“We’ll let the people decide whether to leave with a sensible deal or remain. It really isn’t that complicated,” Corbyn told a party rally at a London art centre.

“And we, the Labour government, will carry out whatever the people decide.”

But the veteran socialist avoided answering a direct question on which way he himself would vote.

“It’s not about me, it’s not any individual on this platform, it’s not a presidential election,” Corbyn said.

‘Government that cares’ 

Corbyn has been accused of seeking to shift the debate onto more domestic subjects such as health and social care to avoid scrutiny of his own vague position on Europe.

He has said in the past that he voted to leave in 2016. But he has also spent much of his political career attacking Brussels as a cauldron of crony capitalism.

Corbyn promised to push the most “radical” agenda Britain has ever seen. He pledged to put “wealth and power in the hands of the many” and eliminate everything from poverty to university tuition fees.

“Together we can pull down the corrupt system to build a genuine government that cares for all,” he said.

Business leaders warn that Labour’s plan to reimpose state ownership over railways and other major industries would cost at least £196 billion ($253 billion, 228 billion euros).

But a National Institute of Economic and Social Research study suggested on Wednesday that Johnson’s Brexit deal could leave Britain £70 billion worse off in 10 years.

Outgoing MPs blame abuse 

Almost 60 members of the 650-seat lower House of Commons have announced they will not stand in the coming election.

The number has raised eyebrows because — while dozens usually leave before general election — many came from the more moderate and wing of Johnson’s party.

Senior Cabinet Minister Nicky Morgan was one of several to at least partly link her decision to the “abuse” lawmakers receive from the public.

Divisions over Brexit have seen sometimes toxic rhetoric on all sides. Death threats against lawmakers and attacks on social media have risen in recent years.

Morgan described the “clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved in, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP”.

Long-standing Conservative MP Caroline Spelman warned of a “wild west of Internet abuse” as she stepped down.

RAHIM YAR KHAN, Pakistan — At least 74 people were killed and dozens injured after cooking gas cylinders exploded on a train packed with pilgrims in Pakistan on Thursday, some dying after leaping from carriages to escape the inferno, authorities said.

Television footage showed flames pouring out of three carriages as people could be heard crying during the incident, in a rural area of central Punjab province.

Some of the passengers — many of whom were pilgrims travelling to one of Pakistan's biggest annual religious gatherings — had been cooking breakfast when two of their gas cylinders exploded, Ali Nawaz, a senior Pakistan Railways official, told AFP.

Many Pakistanis carry food on long train journeys, but gas cylinders are banned, and Nawaz said an inquiry had been ordered. 

Dozens of people crowded along the tracks staring at the burning carriages, which had been disconnected from the rest of the train, television images showed. 

Firefighters rushed to the scene near Rahim Yar Khan district, extinguishing the blaze. Rescue workers and the army could also be seen, as bodies were carried away covered in white sheets.

Muhammad Nadeem Zia, a medical superintendent at the hospital in Liaquatpur, the nearest town, told AFP some of the victims were killed by head injuries sustained as they leapt from the moving train. He said at least 44 people had been injured.

The wounded were being rushed to hospitals in the nearby city of Bahawalpur and elsewhere in Rahim Yar Khan district. Officials said many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

"Deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy... My condolences go to the victim's families & prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," tweeted Prime Minister Imran Khan. 

"I have ordered an immediate inquiry to be completed on an urgent basis."

 Religious pilgrimage

Khan said the train was the Tezgam, one of Pakistan's oldest and most popular rail services, which runs between the southern port city of Karachi to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad.

But the railways official Nawaz said it had been diverted to facilitate religious pilgrims travelling to Lahore.

They were going to attend the annual Tablighi Ijtema, one of Pakistan's biggest religious gatherings, which sees up to 400,000 people descend on a tented village outside Lahore each year for several days to sleep, say prayers and eat together.

The majority of those killed were pilgrims from southern Sindh province, Nawaz said.

The Tablighi Ijtema, which begins on Thursday and concludes on Sunday, was founded by religious scholars more than five decades ago and focuses exclusively on preaching Islam.

It usually sees hundreds of camps and sub-camps set up on the dusty site outside Lahore to accommodate people from across Pakistan, giving the gathering a festival feel.

Stalls sell cooked food, raw chicken and meat, vegetables and fruit, and even electrical appliances and batteries for mobile phones at a subsidised rate.

'Could have 

been avoided' 

Nawaz said two of the carriages were economy coaches, while one was business class, and that up to 88 passengers can fit into each carriage.

"A tragedy that could have been avoided but ever since I can recall while travelling by train no baggage check or restrictions enforced," Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted.

Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where the railways have seen decades of decline due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of investment.

In July, at least 23 people were killed in the same district when a passenger train coming from the eastern city of Lahore rammed into a goods train that had stopped at a crossing.

Accidents often happen at unmanned crossings, which frequently lack barriers and sometimes signals.

Rural Punjab has witnessed several gruesome accidents over the years, including an oil tanker explosion in 2017 which killed more than 200 people.

The tanker crashed on a main highway. Minutes later it exploded, sending a fireball through crowds who had gathered to scavenge for the spilled fuel.