Ahmedpur Sharqia tragedy: Oil tanker was not checked at Shell terminal, OGRA tells LHC

Dunya News

The report exposed that a fake fitness certificate of the oil tanker was used by Shell company.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has on Wednesday submitted its report in Lahore High Court (LHC) regarding Ahmedpur Sharqia incident which revealed that the oil tanker, that turned turtle and exploded, was not checked at the terminal by Shell company.

The report exposed that a fake fitness certificate of the oil tanker was used by the company, and the tragedy could have been averted had the tanker been examined before departure.

The report further said the Oil Tankers Association does not want to use tankers having good quality, and only 40 percent of them meet the standards.

Motorway Police DIG Mirza Farhan also submitted his reply in the court, and said the iron sheet of the tanker was of low quality. The recommendations have been forwarded to relevant institutions and federal government in this regard, he remarked.

The government lawyer took the stance in the hearing that the Oil Tankers Association does not follow the rules. 

It is worth mentioning here that an explosion took place in Ahmedpur Sharqia when an oil tanker overturned and people started scooping up spilled fuel. More than two hundred people had lost their lives just a day before Eid in the tragic incident.