The death toll from the Sunday oil tanker blaze near Bahawalpur has reached 175.

Apart from the more than 150 killed immediately in the inferno, more than 100 people had suffered burn injuries in the incident. They had been shifted to the THQ Hospital in Ahmedpur Sharqia, Nishat Hospital in Multan, Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore.

The latest deaths were reported by Jinnah Hospital Lahore, where four succumbed to burn injuries. Out of the 17 people still admitted there, 10 are said to be in critical condition, with five patients sustaining more than 90 per cent burns to their bodies.

The disaster occurred when hundreds of residents of a nearby village gathered near an overturned tanker to collect the leaking fuel. The cause of the fire has not been made official yet, but it is believed that a spark from the many cars and motorcycles that raced to the scene ignited the fuel