KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 35 people were injured, four of them critically, after a massive fire broke out at a customs warehouse in Mastung district of Balochistan.
According to Dawn, the fire erupted at a customs facility in the Lakpass area on the Quetta–Karachi highway, around 30 kilometres from Quetta. It quickly spread to a nearby parking area, engulfing multiple vehicles before reaching an LPG tanker.
Local officials said the blaze initially started in a warehouse storing confiscated customs goods before spreading to an area containing vehicles and fuel tankers carrying flammable materials.
Abdul Haq Achakzai, head of the Quetta Fire Brigade, said the intensity of the fire was extremely high and the presence of gas and fuel tankers significantly complicated firefighting efforts.
Officials added that the explosion of an LPG tanker caused extensive damage, destroying goods worth billions of rupees.
All injured individuals were shifted to hospitals in Quetta for treatment, while the local government declared an emergency at public hospitals.
Authorities in Mastung also temporarily suspended traffic on the Quetta–Karachi national highway due to the risk of the fire spreading further.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown and investigations are underway.
hz/sa
