Bahawalpur oil tanker fire: 12 more succumb to injuries, toll stands at 179
June 29, 2017
BAHAWALPUR/LAHORE: Twelve more victims of the Ahmedpur East oil tanker fire succumbed to injuries on Thursday, taking the death toll to 179.
Six of the deceased were under treatment at the burn unit of Nishtar Hospital in Multan. So far, 33 people affected by the incident have succumbed to their injuries at the hospital while 32 are undergoing treatment at the hospital's burn unit.
Four of the deceased were between the ages of 12 and 22, including a 12-year-old, 16-year-old Samiullah, 18-year-old Farhan and 22-year-old Abdul Khaliq.
In Lahore's Jinnah Hospital, two under-treatment victims, Rasheed and Bagram, also passed away on Thursday.
Investigation committee
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a four-member committee to probe into the incident.
The committee will look into the response of the police and district administration, the tanker’s mechanical standards and whether procedure was followed while loading oil into the tanker.
The committee is headed by Punjab Chief Minister’s Inspection Team chief and comprises Punjab Emergency Services DG, Punjab transport secretary and former inspector general of police Tariq Saleem Dogar.
On Wednesday, the oil tanker's driver also died at the burn unit from injuries.
The incident took place on a route of the National Highway on June 25, a day before Eid was to be celebrated in most parts of the country.
A large number of people were charred to death on the spot. They included passers-by and residents of a nearby area, who had gathered to collect oil that was leaking from the tanker – it had overturned on the road before exploding into an inferno.
