At least 71 people have died after a fire erupted on a train in Pakistan.

An official from the emergency services said 43 people were injured – 11 of whom are still in a critical condition.

The fire erupted after two gas cooking stoves exploded and quickly tore through three of the train’s carriages as it approached the town of Liaquatpur in Punjab.

Many of the casualties jumped off the train to escape the fire.

Mobile phone photo shows fire raging on a passenger train in Pakistan's east Punjab province, 31-10-2019. Image: Str/Xinhua

Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said some of the passengers were trying to prepare breakfast on the stove as the train was moving, violating railway rules.

He told Geo TV: “Two cooking stoves blew up. They were cooking; they had [cooking] oil which added fuel to fire.”

“Most deaths occurred from people jumping off the train,” he said.

He said passengers with little money often bring their own small gas stoves on the trains to cook their meals, despite the rules.

Media reports suggested that railway officials did not notice passengers carrying individual gas stoves onto the train; however, safety regulations are often ignored on overcrowded trains.

Mobile phone photo shows fire raging on a passenger train in Pakistan's east Punjab province, 31-10-2019. Image: Str/Xinhua

TV footage from the scene showed the flames raging through the train as firefighters struggled to get it under control.

Another train has been dispatched to bring stranded passengers to the city of Rawalpindi.

The critically injured are being taken in ambulances to the city of Multan, which is the largest city nearest to the site of the accident.

Rescue workers are still searching the charred wreckage for survivors and authorities said they are still trying to identify the victims.