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At Least Seven Killed, 30 Missing After Blasts At Pakistani Salvage Yard

Updated

Pakistani rescuers take an injured man into a hospital after an explosion at a ship-breaking yard at Gadani.
Pakistani rescuers take an injured man into a hospital after an explosion at a ship-breaking yard at Gadani.

Reports from Pakistan say at least seven workers have been killed and more than 50 injured by a series of explosions at a facility where large sea vessels are dismantled.

The explosions on a disused oil tanker at the Gadani ship-breaking yard on November 1 occurred while about 100 workers were dismantling the ship.

Pakistan’s DawnNews reports that at least 30 workers at the facility were missing.

With dozens thought to be trapped inside in the burning ship, authorities said the death toll was expected to rise.

Televised images from the ship-breaking yard showed giant flames leaping from an open hatch of the oil tanker.

The inside of the ship appeared to be completely engulfed in smoke.

Pakistan’s DawnNews reports that at least 30 workers at that facility were missing.

With many thought to be trapped inside in the burning ship, authorities said the death toll was expected to rise.

The Gadani ship-breaking yard, which stretches along 10 kilometers of Pakistan’s coast, is located about 60 kilometers northwest of Karachi.

It is the third-largest ship-breaking facility in the world and employs more than 6,000 people.

With reporting by DawnNews

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