Television footage showed people crowding round the location of the blast. In fact, this is a familiar sight; whenever disasters of this kind occur in Pakistan curious onlookers often obstruct rescue work. In the Hyderabad blast, law-enforcement officers had to bring the crowd under control and clear the way for the rescue effort. - APP Photo

Many questions remain regarding Monday's tragic tanker blast in Hyderabad's Hala Naka. Several people were killed while many more were injured in the explosion which occurred at a truck depot. At the time of writing police and government officials were offering differing versions about what was inside the tanker. Some said the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder while others claimed that the truck was carrying thinner. Still others maintained that the tanker contained LPG, while the injured conductor of the vehicle told Dawn's correspondent in Hyderabad that the truck was transporting carbon dioxide to a soda factory. The confusion over what was inside the tanker and whether the blast was accidental or an act of sabotage will only be cleared once a proper investigation is carried out.

However, the blast raises pertinent questions about safety precautions. For instance, it must be ascertained what safety precautions are in place for vehicles carrying flammable material. Do heavy vehicles meet safety standards or do they ply the roads without following the rules? Moreover, the state's emergency response and public reaction to such incidents leave a lot to be desired. Television footage showed people crowding round the location of the blast. In fact, this is a familiar sight; whenever disasters of this kind occur in Pakistan curious onlookers often obstruct rescue work. In the Hyderabad blast, law-enforcement officers had to bring the crowd under control and clear the way for the rescue effort.

Undoubtedly many people must have reached the area in order to help in the effort to look for survivors and shift them to hospital. However, such zeal must be properly channelled and the government should make efforts to raise public awareness about how to respond in emergencies. Volunteers from the public can be essential in saving lives but it must be an organised effort. Individual efforts and simply arriving at the scene of disaster out of curiosity is of no use. The government must have well-trained rescue squads in all cities and towns. Mercifully, there are volunteer ambulance services in the country. But their efforts need to be supplemented in times of trouble.