Around 06:00 local time (01:00 GMT), a tank truck carrying 40,000 litres (10,567 gallons) of fuel overturned as its tires burst while trying to make a sharp turn on N-5 National Highway near Ahmedpur East, Bahawalpur District, in Punjab, Pakistan. The truck was travelling from Karachi to Lahore.[1][2][3]
News of the accident quickly spread to the nearby village of Ramzanpur Joya, with villagers being alerted via the loudspeaker on top of a local mosque.[4] A large number of people busy working in mango farms beside the road (one source estimated about 500[5]), including men, women, and children, subsequently gathered at the site to collect leaking petrol. The crowd ignored attempts by police to clear the area.[6] About 10 minutes later, the truck exploded after leaked fuel from its damaged container caught fire, killing at least 148 people.[4] Dozens of those injured died in the following days, bringing the death toll to 218 with 49 more in critical condition as of 6 July 2017.[7] According to some media reports, the explosion occurred about 45 minutes after the initial truck crash.[6][8]
There were conflicting preliminary reports about the cause of the explosion: some said the fuel was ignited by an attempt to light a cigarette near the overturned tanker,[6] and others blamed a spark from one of the numerous cars and motorcycles that rushed to the scene.[9]
