Rescue workers struggle to put out fire at Gadani shipbreaking yard

Published November 1, 2016
Firefighters use a hose as they attempt to extinguish a fire on a ship after a gas cylinder explosion at the Gadani shipbreaking yard. —AFP
Firefighters use a hose as they attempt to extinguish a fire on a ship after a gas cylinder explosion at the Gadani shipbreaking yard. —AFP
Rescue officials shift an injured man into a hospital, after he was injured in a gas cylinder explosion at a shipbreaking yard at Gadani. ─AFP
Rescue officials shift an injured man into a hospital, after he was injured in a gas cylinder explosion at a shipbreaking yard at Gadani. ─AFP
Smoke rising from vessel oil tanker after blast. ─PPI
Smoke rising from vessel oil tanker after blast. ─PPI
Rescue officials shift an injured worker to Civil Hospital Karachi. ─PPI
Rescue officials shift an injured worker to Civil Hospital Karachi. ─PPI
Rescue officials shift an injured man into a hospital. ─AFP
Rescue officials shift an injured man into a hospital. ─AFP
People look at the ship on fire following an explosion in the coastal town of Gadani. ─AP
People look at the ship on fire following an explosion in the coastal town of Gadani. ─AP
A Pakistan Navy ambulance seen coming out from Gadani Ship Breaking Yard. ─Online
A Pakistan Navy ambulance seen coming out from Gadani Ship Breaking Yard. ─Online
Bystanders gather around the wreckage of a burning ship. ─AFP
Bystanders gather around the wreckage of a burning ship. ─AFP
Security officials carry a body following an explosion and  fire on a ship, in the coastal town of Gadani.─AP
Security officials carry a body following an explosion and fire on a ship, in the coastal town of Gadani.─AP
Labourers gather following a gas cylinder explosion at the Gadani shipbreaking yard. ─AFP
Labourers gather following a gas cylinder explosion at the Gadani shipbreaking yard. ─AFP
A worker looks at ship on fire in the coastal town of Gadani. ─AP
A worker looks at ship on fire in the coastal town of Gadani. ─AP
Rescue workers move a man who was injured after an explosion at the Gadani ship-breaking yard, at a hospital in Karachi. ─Reuters
Rescue workers move a man who was injured after an explosion at the Gadani ship-breaking yard, at a hospital in Karachi. ─Reuters

At least 12 people were killed and 58 others injured during a series of explosions that occurred during work on an unused oil tanker in the Gadani shipbreaking yard on Tuesday.

The Deputy superintendent police Hub confirmed the death toll to DawnNews and added that workers said over 100 people were working on the ship at the time of explosion.

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, DawnNews reported.

Pakistan Navy was also taking part in the fire fighting and rescue operation and had deployed four fire tenders and two ambulances to facilitate the local administration.

The operation was underway till the filing of this report as the wreckage of the ship was still on fire and the heat was hindering fire fighting efforts.

Opinion

Editorial

Consolidating gains
Updated 15 Jul, 2025

Consolidating gains

It would not be incorrect to say that the economy is still just a shock away from relapsing into another crisis.
Second thoughts
15 Jul, 2025

Second thoughts

AND, just like that, the PTI’s ill-timed ‘Second Pakistan Movement’ seems to have been put to rest. The...
Wounded women
15 Jul, 2025

Wounded women

MORALITY is a woman’s burden to bear, and the chilling upsurge in gender-based crimes is a reminder of how...
Tax unrest
Updated 14 Jul, 2025

Tax unrest

Govt has a very poor track record of staying the course of tough decisions that affect the ruling party’s core political base.
Surging numbers
14 Jul, 2025

Surging numbers

PAKISTAN is running out of time — and space. Our population, now over 240m, continues to grow at nearly 2pc a ...
Media matters
14 Jul, 2025

Media matters

PAKISTAN’s journalists are no strangers to living dangerously. The Freedom Network’s new report, Journalism in...