Yet another oil tanker overturns on M9 motorway; driver injured
The driver allegedly in a drowsy state caused the tanker to veer off from the Karachi-Hyderabad route
July 08, 2017
HYDERABAD: An oil tanker travelling from Karachi to Moro went off the M9 motorway road here and flipped over in the nearby rough terrain late Friday night, Geo News reported.
The driver – who was severely injured and consequently taken to the hospital – allegedly in a drowsy state caused the tanker to veer off from the Karachi-Hyderabad route and crash, rescue sources revealed.
The process to empty out fuel from the oil tanker has begun, as rescue teams and M9 motorway police reached the crash site immediately. Officials further called a bulldozer to cover spilt oil with sand in order to prevent any unfortunate incidents.
"We have removed the caps from the oil tanker's taps in order to prevent any gas forming inside," an official mentioned.
Tanker crashes becoming more frequent
Incidents similar to this one have taken place in the country over the past few weeks.
An oil tanker overturned near Harappa, on National Highway, on July 6. The accident took place as the driver of the vehicle slipped into sleep while driving, according to the motorway police.
Prior to that, another oil tanker skidded off Khor Road, near Attock, on July 2, when the driver lost control of the steering wheel. The tanker had around 50,000 litres of oil in it.
No casualties were reported in the two aforementioned incidents.
However, the one that occurred in Bahawalpur on June 25 – a day before Eid-ul-Fitr – claimed the lives of more than 200 people, as of latest reportage.
Due to a burst tyre, an oil tanker flipped over, spilling thousand of litres of petrol and drawing people from the nearby area to collect the leaking fuel.
During this process, someone reportedly lit a cigarette near the spilt fuel, which ignited a fire that engulfed people gathered around the tanker.
Reuters puts the death toll at 209, as of July 4.
