QUETTA: The number of fatalities from the devastating fuel tank explosion in Noshki has increased to 19, as several critically injured victims succumbed to their injuries at a Karachi hospital over the past four days, officials confirmed on Sunday.
On April 29, the Balochistan government airlifted 24 severely injured individuals to Liaquat National Hospital in Karachi using a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft. The emergency evacuation followed a deadly explosion caused by a fuel tanker carrying smuggled Iranian petrol that caught fire in Noshki town.
The blaze began during welding work on a damaged fuel tank. In an effort to minimize the threat to nearby people and property, the tanker driver had moved the vehicle away from the bus and truck stand to a more isolated location. Tragically, a crowd gathered near the site, and the tanker exploded, resulting in mass casualties.
The initial blast claimed the life of the driver and injured more than 60 others, many suffering from severe burn wounds. A fire tender attempting to control the blaze was also caught in the explosion.
All injured victims were first taken to Noshki Hospital and later referred to the burn unit at Bolan Medical College Hospital in Quetta. Those with life-threatening injuries were subsequently transferred to Karachi for specialized treatment.
According to officials, most of the patients taken to Karachi had burns covering 70 to 80 percent of their bodies. Of the 19 confirmed deaths, 16 bodies have been returned to Noshki and handed over to the victims’ families. The remaining three are expected to arrive in Quetta on Monday (today).
