Oil tanker overturns in Daska, passerby killed

DASKA: A woman crushed to death on Wednesday evening when an oil tanker carrying fuel overturned at Sialkot Road near Daska after colliding with a college building boundary in the wee hours of Wednesday (today), ARY News reported.

Oil was spilling from the tanker, which upturned at the road before claiming the life of a passerby woman. The incident said to be result of reckless driving.

The fuel spilling from the tanker was moving towards the mosque and classrooms of the local degree college.

The tanker driver who was injured in the incident fled from the scene after the incident.

The police and rescue teams reached to the spot of the accident and transferred dead body of the victim to the local civil hospital.

Ahmedpur East oil tanker inferno

At least 140 people were killed and more than 100 injured when an oil tanker overturned on National Highway near Ahmedpur Sharqia (East) in Bahawalpur on June 26, 2017.

The leakage of oil started from the tanker and people of nearby localities gathered at the spot when the tanker caught fire and exploded resulting into the large number of deaths and injuries.

Reuters put the death toll at 142 — and they were all those who had rushed to collect leaked fuel. The tanker carried up to 25,000 litres of oil which caused a large number of fatalities when it caught fire.

The accident happened the day before the country celebrates the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, when families get together to celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramazan.

Many bodies were burned beyond recognition and television pictures showed piles of burnt out motorcycles, apparently those of people who were collecting fuel or watching events unfold.

Images of the crash showed rising flames and a thick plume of smoke, along with charred vehicles. The crash happened near the town of Ahmedpur East, some 670 kilometres (416 miles) south of Islamabad.

The injured and the deceased include children and women as well. It is also reported that some people in the vicinity were smoking cigarettes which triggered the deadly blaze.