KARACHI: Nine injured of this week’s oil tanker explosion in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province have succumbed to their wounds, a spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation rescue service said on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 11.
The incident took place in Balochistan’s Nushki district on Monday afternoon when a tanker filled with fuel caught fire at an oil depot, leaving one man dead and injuring over 40 others.
In the footage widely shared on social media platforms, dozens of people could be seen fleeing the scene as the oil tanker exploded, sending plumes of thick black smoke and flames into the sky.
Twenty-four of the critically injured persons were airlifted to the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday. Of them, one died mid-flight, while another nine people succumbed to wounds during treatment.
“Of the remaining 23 injured, 17 were admitted to Liaquat National Hospital and six to Patel Hospital [in Karachi],” Muhammad Amin, an Edhi Foundation official, told Arab News.
“Six patients died at Liaquat National Hospital and three others passed away during treatment at Patel Hospital.”
Nushki police said this week the tanker filled with fuel caught fire due to welding work nearby, and the driver drove away the burning vehicle from the oil depot and parked it in an open field where it exploded.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had expressed grief over the incident and directed authorities to provide immediate medical care to the injured.
“A complete and transparent investigation into the Nushki incident has been ordered,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
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.
Death toll from oil tanker explosion in Pakistan’s southwest rises to 11
https://arab.news/mnqdv
Death toll from oil tanker explosion in Pakistan’s southwest rises to 11
- The incident took place in Balochistan’s Nushki district on Monday afternoon when a tanker filled with fuel caught fire at an oil depot
- Social media footage showed dozens of people fleeing the scene after the tanker exploded, with thick, black smoke rising into the sky
IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’
- Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms
- IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.
Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.
“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.
“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.
The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.
Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.
Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.
