01 November 2016

Explosion at Pakistani Ship Breaking Yard Kills 7 Laborers:

An explosion at a ship breaking yard in southwest Pakistan on Tuesday killed at least seven laborers and wounded dozens of others, police said.

An oil tank exploded while workers were dismantling an old ship, police official Mohammad Abdullah. Initial reports indicated that dozens of laborers remained trapped after the blast in the coastal town of Gadani, he said. Several other workers jumped overboard into the sea as the fire raged, he added.

Abdullah said rescuers were transporting the casualties to a hospital in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province.

Shortly after the industrial accident, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement expressing sorrow for the "loss of valuable lives." He ordered authorities to expedite the operation to rescue those stranded aboard the burning ship, and urged health officials to provide the best possible care to those wounded.

Gadani is one of the world's largest ship breaking yards and was established in the 1970s. Laborers are often injured while breaking ships there, mainly due to poor safety measures.

Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. 01 November 2016

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