At least 12 people have died and 59 others injured in a series of explosions during work on an unused oil tanker in the Gaddani shipbreaking yard on Tuesday.
DC Lasbela, Zulfiqar Ali Shah said they had confirmed reports of at least 12 people’s deaths in the fire.
“A gas cylinder explosion caused a huge fire in the ship which was being dismantled,” Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Harifal said.
The shipbreaking workers union President said that fire had engulfed the vessel moored in Gaddani, 45km (28 miles) northwest of the port city of Karachi.
The whereabouts of at least 30 other workers remain unknown. Some workers remain trapped inside the ship, whereas others who were able to exit the ship from above threw themselves into the sea.
“Things are really bad here,” union president Basheer Mehmoodani told Reuters by telephone, “There’s an unclear number of workers said to be trapped in the burning ship.”
Nasir Mansoor, a representative of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan, said the explosion sent pieces of metal flying up to two kilometres (one mile) away.
Nasir Mansoor, a representative of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan, said the explosion sent pieces of metal flying up to two kilometres (one mile) away.
The blast occurred in the fuel tank of the ship, which was still on fire, he said.
Firefighters from Karachi and from the air force and navy were attempting to put out the blaze, he said.
Mansoor said the firefighters would have to wait for the fire to die out “as they lack the foam required douse it.”
Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri meanwhile expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the explosion. Taking serious notice of the incident, Zehri directed authorities concerned to submit a report to him on a priority basis. He also ordered for provision of every facility to the injured at hospitals.
“The chief minister ordered to rescue injured laborers, shift them to hospital in Karachi and provide them with all available medical care,” he was quoted as having said.
Labourers in Gaddani often work in poor conditions without basic protective gear.
The Gaddani ship-breaking industry has fallen on hard times recently and employs about 9,000 workers, fewer than in its boom years at the end of the last decade.