Pakistan

Motorway police blamed for Bahawalpur oil tanker tragedy

Investigation report says the deadly incident wouldn’t have taken place if the police cordoned off the site

News Desk June 28, 2017

PHOTO: EXPRESS

The investigation report of the Bahawalpur oil tanker inferno blamed motorway police, saying the deadly incident, which claimed over 160 lives, took place due to the negligence of the police personnel.

According to the report, at time of the tragedy the police were changing their shift. The officials of the first shift left their positions well before the second shift could take over their duties.

Catastrophic inferno: Horror before Eid

It further said the incident would not have taken place if the motorway police could cordon off the incident site.

The probe report of the Ahmedpur Sharqia incident has been sent to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The local SHO and assistant commissioner Ahmedpur Sharqia also reached the scene late, the report added.

On Sunday, the speeding tanker carrying 40,000 litres of fuel overturned on a main highway while travelling from Karachi to Lahore. The driver lost control when the vehicle blew a tyre. A large crowd of people gathered, many to collect fuel in containers.

COMMENTS (6)

W Sultan | 7 years ago | Reply Blame NDMA, the national Nisaster management "authority", drawing fat salaries for what?

Ali S | 7 years ago | Reply According to eyewitnesses the police tried their best to disperse the crowd but were overpowered. The blame rests with the unfortunate people desperately trying to steal some free petrol, and the leaders who have disastrously failed in educating them about basic civic sense and personal safety.

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326 | 7 years ago | Reply No sir. Only ones to be blamed are the thieves stealing the oil and they have been punished for doing so while fasting in Ramadan by Allah. We can propose killing those eating/drinking openly in Ramadan but we are okay with stealing in Ramadan. What a shame. P.S. I have all my sympathies with the families of these thieves.

Junaid | 7 years ago | Reply @MS: An incidence on the Motorway is under the Motor way police's jurisdiction and responsibility. I assume they would have cordoned the site and called for local police for onsite then. What's there that's not clear to you?

MS | 7 years ago | Reply Why motor way police is blamed? There were only few officials in the way of hundreds of desperate thieves. Had they used violence, even then everybody had blamed them. No one in media and leaders has the guts to call spade a spade.

Javaid Randhawa | 7 years ago | Reply Is there any training to them? The answer is no. Then who is responsible person. No doubt the man under hat.

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