Death toll from Pakistan's fuel tanker explosion rises to 20

ISLAMABAD, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the fuel tanker explosion that took place last week in Pakistan's southwest Noshki district has risen to 20 after several critically injured victims succumbed to their burn injuries, local police said on Tuesday.

According to police, 17 of the critically injured victims died over the past four days while undergoing treatment at Liaquat National Hospital in Karachi, the country's southern port city.

The explosion occurred on April 28 in Noshki, a district in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, after a tanker carrying petrol caught fire during welding repairs.

The explosion initially claimed the life of the tanker driver and left more than 60 people injured, many of whom sustained severe burns covering 70 to 80 percent of their bodies.

Due to limited healthcare facilities in the area, the provincial government airlifted 24 critically injured patients to Karachi for specialized treatment.

In an attempt to prevent a major tragedy, the driver had moved the tanker away from the truck terminal. However, a crowd gathered near the isolated vehicle shortly before it exploded, engulfing the area in flames, including a fire tender that had responded to the blaze. Enditem