Oil tanker explosion in Pakistan kills at least 123 people

At least 123 people have died after an overturned oil tanker exploded among a crowd of people in Pakistan.

Most of the victims got caught up in the blaze when they gathered around the spilled fuel, and the vehicle suddenly ignited.

Officials said the tanker had overturned after trying to make a sharp turn on a highway on the outskirts of Bahawalpur city.

A large crowd of people gathered at the scene of the crash when the vehicle caught fire and exploded, rescue workers said. As well as the 123 people killed, another 80 had been injured.

‘People of the area and passersby had started gathering fuel when the tanker exploded, burning everybody on and around the spot,’ provincial government spokesman Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan told Reuters.

Serious burn victims, including several in critical condition, were airlifted by helicopter to hospitals in Bawalpur and nearby cities for treatment.

‘According to the initial reports, somebody tried to light a cigarette, and when the spilled fuel caught fire it led to the tanker’s explosion,’ Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman for the rescue workers service, said.

Firefighters fought the flames for more than two hours before they could extinguish it.

The prime minister’s office said the Punjab provincial government had been directed to provide full medical assistance.

In a statement, the office said: ‘Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has expressed deep grief over the heavy loss of life in the unfortunate accident of oil tanker fire at Ahmad Pur Sharqia, Bahawalpur.’