This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/364918-pakistan-blast-ship-oil/
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| At least 10 killed, dozens feared trapped as blast hits oil tanker in Pakistan | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| At least ten workers have been killed in a series of explosions triggered by a blaze at the Gadani shipbreaking yard in Pakistan. Up to 200 others may reportedly be trapped inside the yard, with the fire still raging. | |
| Trade union officials said the death toll could rise. | |
| “Things are really bad here,” trade union president Basheer Mehmoodani told Reuters by telephone. | |
| “Over 200 workers are trapped inside the shipbreaking yard engulfed by flames,” Deputy General Secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Nasir Mansoor said, as cited by the Tribune newspaper. | “Over 200 workers are trapped inside the shipbreaking yard engulfed by flames,” Deputy General Secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Nasir Mansoor said, as cited by the Tribune newspaper. |
| It is not clear what caused the explosion and the fire. | |
| Up to 70 workers have been injured, local media reported, while at least 30 more are missing. | |
| The fire started in a dismantled oil tanker that was stationed in the yard, according to DawnNews. Eight explosions occurred inside the oil tanker while the workers were performing gas welding work, and more explosions are now feared due to the fire. | The fire started in a dismantled oil tanker that was stationed in the yard, according to DawnNews. Eight explosions occurred inside the oil tanker while the workers were performing gas welding work, and more explosions are now feared due to the fire. |
| Rescue teams from Balochistan’s Karachi and Hub districts have rushed to the scene, along with fire fighters. | Rescue teams from Balochistan’s Karachi and Hub districts have rushed to the scene, along with fire fighters. |
| However, as Pakistan Today reports, only a single fire engine is currently trying to extinguish the fire and has been unsuccessful in doing so thus far. | However, as Pakistan Today reports, only a single fire engine is currently trying to extinguish the fire and has been unsuccessful in doing so thus far. |
| “The blaze is still raging and there is nothing fire-fighters can do except to wait for it to die out as they lack foam required to douse it,” Mansoor said. | |
| With 132 ship-breaking plots, the Gadani shipbreaking yard is considered to be the world’s third largest enterprise of its kind after Alang in India and Chittagong in Bangladesh. | With 132 ship-breaking plots, the Gadani shipbreaking yard is considered to be the world’s third largest enterprise of its kind after Alang in India and Chittagong in Bangladesh. |
| It is located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, and spans ten kilometers (6.2-mile) of beachfront. | It is located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, and spans ten kilometers (6.2-mile) of beachfront. |
| An average of 100 ships is torn down in Gadani every year producing around one million tons of steel sold mostly domestically to the construction sector in Pakistan. | An average of 100 ships is torn down in Gadani every year producing around one million tons of steel sold mostly domestically to the construction sector in Pakistan. |
| Accidents are not a rarity at Gadani, as work conditions at the yard are poor and many workers are reportedly unregistered migrant laborers. | Accidents are not a rarity at Gadani, as work conditions at the yard are poor and many workers are reportedly unregistered migrant laborers. |