The tanker overturned after trying to make a sharp turn on a highway on the outskirts of the city of Bahawalpur. A large crowd of people gathered at the scene when it caught fire and exploded, rescue workers said, adding about 80 people 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, several in critical condition, were airlifted by helicopter to hospitals in Bahawalpur and nearby cities for treatment. "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," the statement said.

Source: bd News24 June 25, 2017 04:52 UTC