KARACHI: The death toll from the blast at Gadani ship-breaking yard mounted to 18, as more bodies were recovered from the site late on Tuesday, officials said.
More than 50 laborers were also injured on Tuesday after a huge blast ripped through an oil tanker at the ship-breaking yard, according to local officials. Many were reported trapped inside the vessel.
The ship had reached Gaddani carrying Indian crew on October 22. The same day the crew left the ship, sources said.
The ship was bought by owner of Ghafoor and Company Abdul Ghafoor who has been missing since yesterday. Police has arrested the contractor who was dealing with the workers.
Those responsible for lack of safety in the area may be tried under the Anti-terrorism law.
No safety for workers
The leader of a ship-breaking workers union said fire had engulfed the vessel moored in Gadani, 45 km (28 miles) northwest of the port city of Karachi.
“Things are really bad here,” union president Basheer Mehmoodani told Reuters by telephone.
“There’s an unclear number of workers said to be trapped in the burning ship.”
Nasir Mansoor, a representative of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan, said the explosion sent pieces of metal flying up to 2 km (one mile) away.
The blast occurred in the fuel tank of the ship, which was still on fire, he said.
Firefighters from Karachi and from the air force and navy were attempting to put out the blaze, he said.
Mansoor said the firefighters would have to wait for the fire to die out “as they lack the foam required douse it.”
Labourers in Gadani often work in poor conditions without basic protective gear.
The Gadani ship-breaking industry has fallen on hard times recently and employs about 9,000 workers, fewer than in its boom years at the end of the last decade.