More than a dozen Nato tankers caught fire following a blast in a container terminal in the Ring Road area late on Saturday, police said.
The blast took place inside an oil tanker at around 9pm, parked inside the container terminal located in the southern outskirts of the city.
A police source informed The Express Tribune that the blast took place in the Fauji Logistics, where at least 55 tankers were parked when the fire broke out.
The source added that around 30 of these tankers had caught fire and only 15 could be taken to a safer place.
SSP Operations Ijaz Ahmed however, while talking to reporters, put the number of vehicles at 13, including 11 containers and two oil tankers. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The source quoting tanker drivers said a tanker had arrived a day earlier in the yard following which its chassis was taken out and the vehicle exploded.
He added that the 15 vehicles taken to the safer side however could not be taken out of the area since the raging fire prevented the rescue teams from doing so.
He also said it was very difficult for the rescue teams to contain the flames, since fire was spreading from one tanker to another. He said most drivers and cleaners also fled away from the scene following the incident.
Fire-fighting efforts were still being carried out till the filing of this report.
Ring Road has witnessed the worst attacks on Nato supplies in 2008 and early 2009, when militants destroyed hundreds of Nato tankers, Humvee armoured carriers and other vehicles in several raids. Following these attacks most of the terminals were forced out of the city.
Last month, police in Nowshera district had detained tanker drivers on charges of sabotaging the vehicles.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2011.
COMMENTS (16)
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nato tankers destroyed, why dont terrorist take oil out of it and then put fire on that, at least somebody will take benefit of it, other wise it is just destroyed.
Nato should pay addtional amount to army to protect their tankers. :p
The US has transactional objectives in all relationships. Currently don't want to pay the $800m for services already provided since June2010. Secondly they have turned down additional payment levies for road & infrastructure damage by the NATO transport operation.
Their own credit rating has been downgraded one notch by S&P, just Friday. And they won't pay past due bills. Their plan for drawing down from Afghanistan, is so that they can wash their hands off, and leave Pakistan & Afgs to deal with Talibans on-ground, while they play wider drone games, with little skin in the game.
If the US has such a problem with Pakistan than they are welcome to transport their goods through Iran or Russia.
US and NATO forces must have lost equipment worth billions of dollars in terrorists attacks in Pakistan during the ten years old war. However, Pakistan who is wholly responsible for providing security for the same always turned a blind eye on such incidents. No wonder US blames Pakistan for playing a double game and UK stating that it is looking both ways.
@Incredible: If the West can't control their side of the Durrand Line in Afghanistan where supplies are attacked, how can they expect Pakistan to defend all the supplies coming from our side of the Durrand Line with much more limited resources? There is no way to 100% protect supplies going to a war zone when we have a porous mountainous border with Afghanistan. The Americans themselves realise this which is why it is not an issue. Moreover, a certain amount of attrition is factored in when planners engage in war. Pakistan should ask for the resources and adequate compensation for improving our roads and infrastructure which the West is using.
Why burn precious cargo?
Just confiscate it and declare that aliens came and flew away with the containers! If yjere is too much rukkus appoint an aliens commission to investigate!
Both monetarily and ecologically better!
@Cautious: Pakistan is serious in War but these Indians are doing everytime against Pakistan. This is also done by them Damn Sure.
we need subsidised oil and gas
Of course Pakistan won't guard the tankers -- nor allow NATO to protect the tankers -- just another obvious reason that no one believe that Pakistan is serious about the "war on terror".
Down with NATO. Seriously.
This is just the beginning. The Pakistan Army/ISI is corned. Bet you a thousand bucks that the Army will provoke India to defuse its solidarity against its people.
It is a tit-for-tat between Pakistan and USA. Pakistan wants $800.00 million released. Round one for Pakistan. In the long term this move by Pakistan is going to hurt it tremendously. They are not playing with a soft Indian PM. They are playing fire with a superpower whose people are fed up with Pakistan.
First the USA Heli downed and not this... I'd say something is brewing.
This is good as long as there is no loss of a human.
This is not good.