At least 10 killed in Pakistani oil tanker fire

At least 10 people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when an oil tanker docked in southern Pakistan caught fire after an explosion, officials said on Tuesday.

Around 100 people are trapped inside the ship in the Ghadani Ship Breaking Yard, which lies in the town of Hub, off the Arabian Sea in the south-western Pakistani province of Balochistan, police official Ameer Bux told dpa.

The fire broke out at 10 am (0500 GMT), but rescue workers are still struggling to extinguish it, Bux



said.

All the bodies taken to a hospital in the main town of the region were charred beyond recognition.

Dozens of firefighters and rescuers are taking part in an operation to rescue trapped workers, local police chief Jahffar Khan said.

Khan said an accident might have caused the explosion and fire, but the exact reason would be probed.

Thousands of laborers work in the Pakistani shipbreaking industry under poor conditions and low safety standards and are often the victim of deadly accidents.