At least 40 injured in Noshki as oil tanker explodes after catching fire: officials

At least 40 people were injured when an oil tanker exploded after catching fire in Balochistan’s Noshki district on Monday, officials said.

“The oil tanker was parked at a truck depot when it caught fire, injuring at least 40 people,” Noshki Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amjad Soomro told media.com, adding that the fire was caused by welding work on the tanker.

“The fire brigade was trying to control the fire when the truck exploded,” DC Soomro said, adding that fire brigade personnel were seriously injured as a result.

He said that four police personnel present a the scene to move citizens away were also injured, while those near the oil tanker suffered 70 to 80 per cent burns.

“Those with severe burns will be shifted to Quetta via helicopter,” DC Soomro said.

In a statement, Balochistan Government Spokesperson Shahid Rind noted that over 30 people were burned in the incident.

“The fire was so intense it engulfed the fire brigade vehicle present at the scene,” Rind was quoted as saying. “There are reports of more than 30 people being burned in the accident.

“The injured are being shifted to the Civil Hospital and BMC (Bolan Medical College) after [receiving] first aid,” he said, adding that an emergency had been declared in hospitals.

“The incident is unfortunate … investigations are being conducted,” Rind was quoted as saying.

Oil tanker explosions frequently result from high-impact collisions. Beyond crashes, explosions can stem from defective fuel tanks, overloaded tanks, faulty muffler systems sparking fires, or various other issues. Given that tankers transport highly flammable or hazardous materials, accidents are not unexpected.

Last year, a man was killed while five others were injured in an oil tanker explosion in Karachi’s Shireen Jinnah Colony near the terminals of the 20-bus route. Police said some workers were welding under the oil tanker, which was empty of oil, but some gases had accumulated in it, leading to the explosion.

In 2017, 212 people were killed when a tanker carrying 40,000 litres of fuel overturned after trying to make a sharp turn while travelling from Karachi to Lahore on the main highway. The incident occurred when hundreds of residents of a nearby village gathered at the site of the overturned oil tanker to collect the leaking fuel.

According to initial investigations, a cigarette was suspected to have caused the massive blaze that engulfed the people collecting the spilled fuel.