Six killed as petrol-laden loader collides with bus, triggers fire in Pakistan

Senior Superintendent of Police Athar Rashid said that the loader auto rickshaw was illegally transporting Iranian petrol.

Karachi: Six people were killed and seven others injured after a loader vehicle carrying petrol canisters collided with a passenger bus, setting both vehicles ablaze in Pakistan's Balochistan province, police said on Tuesday.

The accident took place late Monday night on the Western Bypass road in Quetta, according to a senior police official.

The loader auto rickshaw was illegally transporting Iranian petrol, Senior Superintendent of Police Athar Rashid said.

“Due to the impact of the collision, the rickshaw caught first and then spread to the bus as well. The driver of the rickshaw and five passengers on the bus were killed in the fire,” Rashid said.

He said seven other passengers with burn injuries were moved to hospital, adding that two of them were very critical.

“Those who died, their bodies are unrecognisable as they are badly burnt,” he said.

There has been a shortage of petrol and diesel in the Balochistan province as many people are heavily dependent on the cheaper fuel smuggled into the province from Iran.

Due to the war with Israel, the supply from Iran has been badly disrupted leading to long queues at petrol pumps.

In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind expressed sorrow over the incident.

“We express our heartfelt sympathy to the families of the passengers who died in the tragic accident,” he said. “The injured are being provided with immediate and the best medical assistance. Treatment and facilities are being ensured for them.”