Oil tanker blaze: PM visits Victoria Hospital, announces compensation
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Bahawalpur after cutting short his London visit.
BAHAWALPUR (Dunya News / APP) - After being briefed on oil tanker tragedy in Ahmadpur Sharqia town that claimed lives of more than 140 people and injured scores, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday visited Victoria Hospital in Bahwalpur to inquire about health of those injured in the horrific incident.
The Prime Minister went around various wards of the hospital and met the injured. He handed over cheques of Rs one million each for the injured and Rs two million for heirs of those who lost their lives.
While speaking to media along with Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the premier announced that jobs will be provided to the injured after their full recovery.
Nawaz Sharif said he was shocked to hear about the incident while in London and directed immediate rescue and relief efforts. He said he also decided to cut short his visit to be amongst the affected families.
The Prime Minister directed the hospital administration and the local authorities to ensure that every possible facility was provided to the affected families to mitigate their pain.
He said the inquiry will look into as to what was the condition of the oil tanker and what was the responsibility of the company owning the tanker.
BRIEFING ON OIL TANKER TRAGEDY
Earlier today, Commissioner Bahawalpur Saqib Zafar gave briefing to the Prime Minister here the Circuit House where Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif was also present.
The Prime Minister was informed that the unfortunate incident occurred at national highway in Ahmadpur Sharqia, 45 kilometres from Bahawalpur, at 0620 hours on Sunday.
He was informed that the rescue operation was completed in five hours. Four army helicopters, 34 ambulances of Rescue
1122 and 25 ambulances of Edhi, participated in the rescue operation. The tanker with 25,000 litres of oil was on its way to
Bahawalpur from Karachi.
It was told during the briefing that the people had started collecting oil, spilled from the tanker, which later exploded and affected 265 people, with 140 people losing their lives and injuring 125 others.
