Oil tanker explodes in Pakistan, kills 123

At least 123 people were killed and 76 others injured after an oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur city on Sunday.

The tanker overturned and spilled oil on the road while trying to navigate a turn in Bahawalpur.

Police sources told Pakistani government news agency APP that the tanker had been carrying 25,000 litres (5,500 gallons) of oil and had been travelling from Karachi to Lahore.

A huge crowd reportedly gathered to collect the oil from the spillage before the tanker caught fire.

Traffic police had tried in vain to keep the crowd away from the tanker as people, including women and children, continued collecting oil in pots, the sources reportedly said.

“People living in roadside villages, carrying domestic pots rushed to the scene to collect oil and they also made phone calls to their relatives living in other villages to immediately come to collect oil,” the sources said.

“Suddenly, [a] huge fire erupted in the oil tanker which engulfed all people standing around the vehicle.”

Many bodies were said to be charred beyond recognition. Some victims may only be identified by DNA sampling as bodies were badly burned in the incident, reports say.

People smoking at the scene may have sparked the fire, Pakistan’s Geo TV reports, quoting witnesses.

According to BBC, the country’s roads are dangerous, with poor vehicle maintenance and reckless driving contributing to the problem.

Army helicopters were dispatched to ferry casualties to hospitals, Asif Ghafoor, army spokesman, said in a tweet.