One killed, 44 injured in oil tanker explosion in southwestern Pakistan
The incident took place at an oil depot in Balochistan province's Nushki city on Monday afternoon when a tanker filled with fuel caught fire due to welding work nearby, police said. In footage widely shared on social media platforms, dozens of people can be seen fleeing the tanker as it explodes, with thick black smoke and flames leaping into the sky.
Nushki Deputy Commissioner Amjad Soomro told Arab News 44 people standing close to the burning oil tanker were injured after it exploded. Nushki police said the driver of the tanker drove the burning vehicle from the oil depot and parked it in an open field.
'The driver who drove the burning tanker out from an oil depot was killed on the spot,' Soomro told Arab News.
Waseem Baig, the spokesperson for the provincial health department, said 35 people were admitted to the Civil and Bolan Medical hospitals on Monday for burn injuries.
'Twenty-one injured of the Nushki oil tanker explosion are being shifted to Karachi due to severe burn wounds via the army's C-130 airplane,' Baig said.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed grief over the incident, directing authorities to provide immediate and quality medical care to the injured, as per Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
'A complete and transparent investigation into the Nushki incident has been ordered,' Bugti was quoted as saying by Dawn.
Oil tanker explosions can be caused by several factors such as collisions, overheating of the engine or overfilling which can build unnecessary pressure on the tank.
In 2017, 212 people were killed in Pakistan when a tanker carrying 40,000 liters of fuel overturned after trying to make a sharp turn while traveling from Pakistan's Karachi city to Lahore on a highway.
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