70 oil tankers gutted in Nowshera inferno

Around 70 oil tankers were completely gutted in a large inferno which swept across a parking lot in Pabbi, Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Saturday.

Police told The Express Tribune that there were 77 tankers parked in the vicinity and all of them were full of diesel or petrol.

“The sudden fire broke out in one tanker which spread to nearby tankers. Some daredevil drivers still managed to evacuate seven vehicles but still 70 of the oil tankers were completely destroyed,” said a police official, adding that firefighters from Rescue 1122 were called to extinguish the fire but their efforts proved fruitless.

“Rescue teams backed by 11 fire engines are still trying their level best but they lack the technology to bring fire caused by petrol and diesel under control as we have seen time and again,” he said.

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The fire was most probably started by a short circuit in one of the vehicle which spread and engulfed the entire parking lot.

“This is a private parking lot where oil tankers are parked. In the past militants attacked Afghanistan-bound vehicles on almost daily basis,” he said, adding that an investigation has been launched in the incident but luckily there is no loss of life.

Police said that it was premature to link the incident to terrorism or extortion.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2022.