Oil Tanker Inferno: First patient discharged from hospital

MULTAN: A nine-year-old girl Muskan was the first lucky victim of the Bahawalpur tragedy, who was discharged from the Pakistan Italian Modern Burn Centre on Friday.

According to Rescue 1122 and hospital sources, another three injured breathed their last on the same day, taking the death toll of the victims who were airlifted and shifted to the health facility to 39.

Another patient named Shahbaz Ahmad, 25, died at the general surgery ward on Thursday. As many as 23 patients are under treatment at the Pakistan Italian Modern Burn Centre at present. The total number of deaths has reached 181 so far.

Scores of people lost their lives when a fire broke out in an oil tanker on June 25 in Ahmedpur East, near Bahawalpur, just a day before Eidul Fitr.



Recently, an 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.

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.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2017.