Death toll in Pakistan's oil tanker fire rises to 157

Pakistani officials say the death toll from a massive fuel truck fire increased to 157 on Suday, after four victims died overnight.

Dr. Nahid Ahmed at the Nishter Hospital in Multan says the death toll has steadily been rising and reached 157 on Monday, adding 50 more severely burned victims are being treated at his hospital.

The truck was travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to Lahore, the Punjab provincial capital, when the driver lost control and crashed on a highway outside Bahawalpur early on Sunday.

Scores of villagers rushed to the scene to collect the spilled fuel when the blaze ignited.

"When it turned over the residents of the nearby village of Ramzanpur Joya rushed to the site with buckets and other containers, and a large number of people on motorcycles also came and started collecting the spilling fuel," said regional police chief Raja Riffat.

"After about 10 minutes the tanker exploded in a huge fireball and enveloped the people collecting petrol. It was not clear how the fire started."

The disaster struck on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that follows the holy month of Ramadan.