Islamabad, Apr 29 (UNI) At least one person was killed and over 40 others were injured when an oil tanker exploded in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Monday, police and government officials said.
The incident happened in Noshki district of the province when a fuel tanker parked at a truck depot caught fire, resulting in an explosion and injuring multiple people standing nearby, Noshki Senior Superintendent of Police Hashim Momand told Xinhua.
He said that among the injured were police personnel and fire fighters, who have arrived at the scene to manage the situation and put out the fire, adding that the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals.
According to hospital sources, at least 16 people are in critical condition, with some suffering 70 to 80 percent burns. The severely injured people are being shifted to the provincial capital city of Quetta for better treatment.
The fire was so intense it engulfed the fire brigade vehicle present at the scene and critically injured fire brigade personnel, Spokesperson for Balochistan Shahid Rind told local media.
"A state of emergency has been declared in all the hospitals in the district ... the incident is unfortunate and investigations are being conducted," Rind added.
UNI XINHUA ARN