PESHAWAR: Rescue officials, on Friday, were trained to control the damage in case of oil tanker accidents in future; in this regard, mock exercises were held on GT Road, Peshawar.
The exercises aimed at teaching rescue officials in providing an immediate relief to the affected people.
National Highway and Motorway DSP Alauddin Khan led the exercises. The highway and motorway police along with Rescue 1122 teams participated in the exercises.
The step has been taken in the wake of Bahawalpur accident last month which claimed over 200 lives and was followed by at least dozen other accidents in which oil tankers overturned due to faults in the vehicles.
In Ahmedpur East, a tanker carrying at least 50,000 litres of oil toppled due to a fault in the vehicle. Subsequently, oil leaked from the tanker, drawing people from nearby areas to collect the free-flowing fuel. However, in the meantime, someone lit a cigarette in the vicinity causing an explosion and killing over a hundred on the spot.
The accident sent alarm bells ringing among the authorities that tightened rules and regulations for oil tanker owners, who protested the changes and suspended supply of oil to the country for some days until successful negotiations were held between them and the officials concerned.
