KARACHI, 11 March 2005 — At least six people were killed and around 95 injured when fire broke out yesterday aboard an oil tanker here and quickly spread to the surrounding area, naval officials said.
“Six people have died and around 95 are injured in the fire,” a Pakistan Navy spokesman said. He said 55 of the injured had serious burns. “The fire was caused by accident and it was not a sabotage,” the spokesman said.
Earlier a Navy official said an initial investigation suggested the fire started on a refueling vessel for Pakistani naval ships docked in the port, was likely a result of human error.
At least 35 people have been admitted to the city hospital’s intensive care unit, hospital officials said.
Salman Ali, a Pakistan Navy spokesman, said the fire broke out during maintenance work on PNS Moawin, an auxiliary vessel that serves as one of two fleet tankers.
“There was a huge fireball,” he said. “Thank God, now the fire has been extinguished,” he said.
The spokesman said that a skilled personnel was sent to plug a gas leak at the exhaust of Moawin. He was assisted by two more people. But the gas clogged up near the exhaust and while the workers were trying to correct the problem, the gas caught fire.
Witnesses said they saw dozens of private and navy ambulances rushing toward the scene at the Karachi naval dockyard, where a massive security ring was thrown up by naval personnel.
Rescue helicopters were also used to take victims to hospital, they said.
Another Navy officer, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a small fire also occurred on a nearby ship which was quickly put out.
Moawin, which formerly belonged to the Dutch navy, was badly damaged in the fire, a Navy official said.
