A man was killed after a fuel tank detached from a tanker and overturned on Karachi’s Baloch Colony flyover on Thursday, police and rescue services officials said.
Ahmed Nawaz Cheema, the Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) deputy inspector general (DIG), told Dawn.com that the incident caused the closure of both tracks of the busy road for hours till the afternoon.
He said that the traffic police received information at around 1:30am that a jet fuel tank, after detaching from a tanker due to a mechanical fault, had overturned and fallen on a passerby Suzuki Mehran car on the flyover, resulting in the death of its driver identified as Asad Abbas Zaidi.
Clarifying rescue officials’ concerns reported earlier of the “spillage of kerosene oil posing a risk of fire”, Cheema asserted that it was not kerosene oil but a jet fuel tank.
He said the police got both tracks closed for traffic and called a crane, which slightly lifted the car but the man had already died. DIG Cheema noted that it was difficult to remove the tanker even with the crane’s help.
Recalling that the traffic police faced difficulties in ascertaining who the tanker’s owner was as its driver had fled from the scene, the DIG said it later transpired that the tanker belonged to Pakistan State Oil (PSO).
Cheema added the vehicle was carrying 40,000 litres of oil from Korangi to the airport as the fuel was to be used for planes. He further said they approached PSO at 9am when their offices opened.
A team of technical experts sent by PSO arrived at the scene at 11am, following which they secured the area and transferred the oil to other vehicles. However, by that time, 500 to 600 litres of oil had spilt on the road, the KTP DIG noted.
After emptying the tank of oil, the tanker was removed and the road was cleared for traffic at around 3:15pm. DIG Cheema said no further loss occurred, stressing that a lack of precaution and a minor mistake might have triggered colossal loss.
Stating that oil tankers usually did not indulge in over-speeding because of strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the threat to the driver’s own life, the DIG attributed the incident to a mechanical fault.
Earlier, Sindh Emergency Rescue Service 1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn.com that the “incredibly difficult” rescue operation was completed by 3pm, adding that the tanker had been removed from the flyover.
“Heavy machinery of Rescue 1122 Sindh took part in the rescue operation to evacuate the people in the car,” the rescue statement said.
The spokesperson added that the deceased person was identified as Asad Zaidi, according to an ID card found on him. He added that the deceased worked for a private TV channel.
The rescue team that engaged in the operation consisted of more than 30 personnel, two fire brigades, a disaster response van, heavy machinery and a rescue ambulance.
A statement issued by Sindh Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar lauded the KTP DIG, senior superintendent of police of East division for their timely action and secure methods that “saved the public from a huge loss”.
“Protecting the public’s life and property is the requirement and necessity of the police’s duties. You have further promoted Sindh police’s good name by your character and action,” he said.
