Pakistan: Shell held responsible for deadly fire

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan has held the multi-national Shell company responsible for a deadly fire that killed more than 200 people in the northeast Punjab province, said a report released on Friday.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority in its investigation report made Shell Pakistan Ltd. bound to pay Rs1 million ($9500) each to the families of the deceased victims and Rs500,000 ($4600) each to the injured.

An additional fine of Rs10 million has been imposed on the sixth largest oil company of the world.

The report said that the ill-fated oil tanker did not meet the technical standards required for transportation of fuel and carried a fake fitness certificate.

It also held the police and local authorities responsible for not taking appropriate measures to keep crowds away from the spilling oil tanker.

Some 217 people were killed and more than 150 injured when an overturned oil tanker caught fire in Bahawalpur district of Punjab province this June, a day before Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The fire ignited when a crowd of villagers gathered to collect the spilled fuel, considered a high-value commodity in Pakistan, from the overturned tanker on the highway.

According to initial investigations, a lit cigarette is suspected to have caused the massive blaze.

Health officials fear a further rise in the death toll as 38 more people with 40 to 80 percent burn injuries are in critical condition.

Several of the injured lost their lives due to unavailability of burns units at the district hospital, and dozens were transported to bigger cities like Multan and Lahore for medical treatment.

Reacting to the report, a Shell Pakistan spokesman said: "Shell Pakistan is presently reviewing the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority report in detail."

"It would be unhelpful to speculate on factors that may have contributed to the incident whilst other investigations are still ongoing, but we respect the role of the regulator and will consider the report as we cooperate with investigations by authorities and as we conduct our own investigation," he added.

Pakistan has had a long history of road and rail disasters, mainly because of poor infrastructure and lack of safety standards.

Local media has criticized the government for its soft corner for the oil company.

A fine of mere Rs10 million against deaths of more than 200 people seems to be awarding a clean chit to the company rather than punishment, local broadcaster Dunya TV said.