A fire broke out on a tanker belonging to the Pakistan navy at a dock in the southern port city of Karachi on Thursday, and relief officials said at least 60 people — most of them sailors — were injured in the blaze.
A naval doctor said he fears many others are trapped on the ship, and that hospital officials have been put on emergency call to deal with the situation.
Witnesses saw at least a half-dozen of the injured being rushed to the PNS Shifa Naval hospital, some covered in red blankets, their faces burned from the fire.
”We have pulled out 60 to 70 injured people,” rescue official Rizwan Edhi said. Hospital officials said 48 injured have been brought in so far and more are on the way.
The Pakistan navy confirmed the fire, which it said broke out during routine exercises on the boat, but had no comment on the number of injuries.
Lieutenant Commander Salman Ali said the cause of the fire is not known.
Helicopters swarmed in the air over the enormous tanker, which is sitting on a dock in the Arabian Sea. — Sapa-AP