At least 148 dead in Pakistan in oil tanker disaster
At least 148 people died in Pakistan on 25th June, when they rushed to collect leaking petrol from an overturned oil tanker, that caught fire later on. The accident happened near a highway in Bahawalpur city in Punjab.
The driver was trying to take a sharp turn on the highway when he lost control and the vehicle overturned and crashed.
Police rushed to the scene to redirect the traffic, but they failed to stop the scores of villagers racing to collect the spilling petrol - most of them being on foot, while many on their bikes and cars to refill their tanks. They had carried containers to store the leaking fuel, forgetting the fact that it was deadly and highly inflammable liquid.
According to reports, some villager tried to light a cigarette, when the fuel caught fire. The tanker exploded, burning everybody on and around the spot.
Most bodies got burned beyond recognition. The bikes and cars that had carried the villagers to the site of disaster lay in charred ruins.
It was an extremely unfortunate accident. Personal safety always comes first, and just a few litres of fuel is not worth taking such a big risk for.