• 26 critically injured shifted to Quetta via helicopter.
• Driver drove burning truck out of terminal into open field.
• Emergency declared in Quetta hospital to save lives.

The driver of an oil tanker was killed, while over 40 others suffered burn injuries when the vehicle exploded after catching fire in Balochistan’s Noshki district on Monday, confirmed Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amjad Hussain.

26 critically injured individuals were shifted to Quetta via an air ambulance provided by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, the deputy commissioner added.

According to police, welding work was being carried out on the oil-laden truck parked at a depot in Noshki when it suddenly caught fire. In a bid to prevent a larger disaster, the truck driver drove the burning vehicle out of the terminal into an open field.

The driver, however, succumbed to his burn injuries on the spot.

Meanwhile, the oil tanker, which had turned into a fireball, exploded, injuring over 40 people — including a DSP and three other police personnel who were present there to move citizens away from the scene.

A fire tender was also damaged in the incident.

Quoting reports, a spokesperson for the provincial government said that over 30 people sustained burn injuries in the tragic incident in Noshki.

“The intense blaze also damaged a fire brigade vehicle,” the spokesperson added. They further said that an emergency had been declared in hospitals in Quetta to facilitate the injured.

Calling the incident “tragic,” the spokesperson said that investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire.