Oil tanker inferno death toll reaches 148 in Pakistan
A large crowd had gathered to scavenge for fuel amid Pakistan’s energy crisis before the tanker exploded in a huge fireball
Ahmedpur East — An overturned oil tanker exploded in a huge fireball in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than 148 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 Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Fuel is scarce in Pakistan following state rationing. The situation was compounded when deliveries were impeded by industrial action earlier this year, reports said. The tanker carrying 40,000l 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 ...
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