QUETTA: One person was killed while 44 others were injured in southwestern Pakistan this week when an oil tanker exploded after catching fire, a government official confirmed on Tuesday.
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.
One killed, 44 injured in oil tanker explosion in southwestern Pakistan
https://arab.news/66ftp
One killed, 44 injured in oil tanker explosion in southwestern Pakistan
- Oil tanker exploded after it caught fire due to welding work nearby, say police
- Twenty-one injured being shifted to Karachi for treatment, says health official
Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol
- Official statement says the haul was made during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by PNS Yamama
- Seizure comes after a record haul of nearly $972 million was reported in the North Arabian Sea in October
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy said on Sunday a patrol vessel operating in the Arabian Sea had seized 1,500 kg of narcotics, the latest interdiction under a regional maritime security deployment aimed at curbing illicit activity along key shipping routes.
The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), a Pakistan-led initiative that deploys naval assets across the Arabian Sea and adjoining waters to deter smuggling, piracy and other non-traditional security threats.
The framework combines independent patrols with coordination involving regional and international partners.
“Pakistan Navy Ship Yamama, while deployed on Regional Maritime Security Patrol in the Arabian Sea, successfully conducted an anti-narcotics operation, leading to the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish valued at approximately 3 million US dollars,” the Navy said.
The interdiction, it added, underscored the force’s “unwavering commitment to combating illicit activities and ensuring security in the maritime domain.”
Pakistan Navy said it routinely undertakes RMSP missions to safeguard national maritime interests through “robust vigilance and effective presence at sea,” and continues to play a proactive role in collaborative maritime-security efforts with other regional navies.
The seizure comes amid heightened counter-narcotics activity at sea.
In October, a Pakistani vessel seized a haul worth nearly $972 million in what authorities described as one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.
Last month, Pakistan Navy units operating under a Saudi Arabia-led multinational task force seized about 2,000 kg of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $130 million, highlighting the role of regional cooperation in disrupting trafficking networks.
