Bahawalpur (Staff Report): The death toll from an oil tanker explosion in Ahmadpur Sharqia rose to 190 as 16 more victims succumbed to injuries on Thursday.
Early on Sunday, the tanker overturned on a main highway from Karachi to Lahore while carrying some 40,000 litres of fuel.
It exploded minutes later as hundreds of residents of a nearby village gathered to collect the leaking fuel from an overturned oil tanker when massive fire erupted and engulfed the tanker. The people were charred to death on the spot.
Tahira Parveen, medical superintendent of Bahawalpur Victoria hospital, “The death toll from the tanker fire incident is now 190 after expiry of more injured people.”
A senior local administration official confirmed the toll.
The tragedy marked a grim start to Eid, the celebrations closing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.