Pakistan oil tanker inferno kills at least 140 (sparked by cigarette)

[mountaineer]

Pakistan oil tanker inferno kills at least 140
25 minutes ago

At least 140 people were killed when a lorry transporting oil burst into flames near the Pakistani city of Ahmedpur East, local officials say.

A crowd had gathered, reportedly to collect fuel leaking from the overturned vehicle when it caught fire. Dozens are being treated in hospital.

It appears the tanker blew a tyre while rounding a sharp bend in the road.

The subsequent fire may have been sparked by a cigarette, rescue services told the BBC.

"One of the passers-by lit the lighter to start a cigarette and the untoward incident which was a minor [one]... turned into a major blast," Jam Sajjad said. ...

Pakistani media have published pictures from the scene, showing charred bodies and vehicles. There are fears that the death toll could rise further.

At least six cars and 12 motorcycles were burnt, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reports.

Some victims may only be identified by DNA sampling as bodies were so badly burned in the incident, reports say.  ...

More, including photos, at BBC.

[rodamala]

Interesting modification of the actual headline.

[mountaineer]

I added the phrase about the cigarette. Because it's in parentheses, it's not a modification of the headline.

[mountaineer]

AP June 26, 2017, 5:21 AM
Death toll climbs after Pakistan fuel tanker fire

MULTAN, Pakistan -- Pakistan's prime minister cut short a trip abroad to rush to the side of victims of a massive fuel tanker fire as authorities on Monday raised the death toll from the blaze to 157.

The truck, carrying some 6,600 gallons of gasoline, was traveling from the southern port city of Karachi to Lahore, the Punjab provincial capital, when the driver lost control and crashed on a highway outside the town of Bahawalpur early on Sunday.

Alerted by an announcement over a mosque loudspeaker that an overturned tanker truck was leaking fuel, scores of villagers rushed to the scene to collect the spilled fuel when the blaze ignited. The wreck exploded, engulfing people in flames as they screamed in terror.  ...

Many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and will have to be identified through DNA testing, said Baqar.

"I have never seen anything like it in my life. Victims trapped in the fireball. They were screaming for help," said Abdul Malik, a police officer who was among the first to arrive on the scene in Pakistan's Punjab province.

When the flames subsided, he said, "we saw bodies everywhere. So many were just skeletons. The people who were alive were in really bad shape."

Some of the most badly burned were immediately evacuated by army helicopters to Multan. There are men, women and children among the dead.   ...  More at CBS

[thackney]

Police sources said that people in nearby villages had rushed to the scene to collect fuel in pots, and also made phone calls to their relatives in other villages to come to collect the fuel.