Explosion at Gadani ship-breaking yard kills at least 10

KARACHI (92 News) – At least 10 people were killed and 50 others injured in an explosion at Gaddani ship-breaking yard on Tuesday. An oil tank exploded while workers were dismantling an old ship killing at least 10 workers, while dozens of laborers remained trapped after the blast in the coastal town of Gadani. Several other workers jumped overboard into the sea as the fire raged. President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the explosion. Rescue teams rushed the bodies and injured people to Karachi and nearby Balochistan hospital for medical assistance. Prime Minister in his condolence message prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and grant of courage to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss. The Prime Minister directed to extend best possible medical treatment to the injured. He also directed the relevant authorities to carry out an inquiry into the incident. 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. The location is the world's third-largest ship-breaking yard and is located across a 10km beachfront in Gadani, about 50km northwest of Karachi. An average of 100 ships is torn down in Gadani every year producing around one million tons of steel sold mostly domestically to the construction sector in Pakistan.