Overturned oil tanker explodes in Pakistan, killing 153

LAHORE — An overturned oil tanker exploded in a huge fireball in Pakistan on Sunday (June 25), killing at least 153 people and injuring scores as crowds scavenging for fuel ignored warnings to stay clear, officials and witnesses said.

The horrific early morning tragedy came hours before Pakistan was due to begin Eid Al Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The tanker, carrying 40,000 litres of fuel, overturned on a main highway while travelling from Karachi to Lahore, near the town of Ahmedpur East in Punjab province.

Details were sketchy but some witnesses suggested the tanker had suffered a burst tyre, said regional police chief Raja Riffat.

“When it turned over, the residents of the nearby village of Ramzanpur Joya rushed to the site with buckets and other containers, and a large number of people on motorcycles also came and started collecting the spilling fuel,” Mr Riffat told AFP.

“After about 10 minutes, the tanker exploded in a huge fireball and enveloped the people collecting petrol. It was not clear how the fire started.”

An estimated 20 children were among the dead, provincial government spokesman Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan told Reuters. The death toll could rise further as another 50 people are in critical condition, said Dr Mohammad Baqar, a senior rescue official in the area. Nearly 100 people were injured, with most suffering burns to upward of 80 per cent of their bodies, officials said.

The charred shells of dozens of motorcycles and cars could be seen scattered on the highway, along with kitchen utensils, pots, water coolers, jerrycans and buckets which victims had brought to collect the petrol.

Residents could be seen walking past blackened and twisted bodies piled by the side of the road. Earlier, television footage showed shooting flames and a thick plume of smoke as firefighters battled to extinguish the blaze.

“Many bodies could not be identified as they have been charred very badly,” Mr Riffat said, as provincial officials said DNA tests were being used.

Dozens of villagers and relatives of the victims looked on from nearby farms, many of them weeping.

Mr Hafiz Sohail said his uncle and cousin were among the victims. “Everyone in the family and the village is deeply shocked. Nobody is able to explain what just happened,” Mr Sohail told AFP. “It was all fire, everywhere I looked. For quite some time I was unable to understand what was going on.”

Another villager, Mr Mohammad Shabbir, said the driver was shouting for people to stay away as the petrol could erupt at any time, but no one listened. Pakistan Motorway Police spokesman Imran Shah told AFP residents also ignored police warnings to stay away. Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said the tanker driver had survived the crash and been taken into custody.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his grief and directed provincial officials to provide “full medical assistance”. China also sent its condolences, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Islamabad, where he was holding talks with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain.

Pakistan has an appalling record of traffic safety due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

At least 62 people, including women and children, were killed in southern Pakistan in 2015 when their bus collided with an oil tanker. AGENCIES