Pakistani Man Lights Cigarette, Kills 150

[Chance]

From BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-40396036):



A lorry carrying fuel has burst into flames near the Pakistani city of Ahmedpur East, killing at least 150 people, local officials say.

Villagers had gathered, reportedly to collect fuel leaking from the crashed tanker, when it caught fire. Dozens are being treated in hospital.

It appears the tanker blew a tyre while rounding a sharp bend in the road.

The fire was sparked by a passer-by lighting a cigarette, a rescue services spokesman told the BBC.

Unbelievable. What rocket surgeon lights a cigarette while standing in a giant puddle of fuel?

[Odin Bravo One]

Completely believable.

[Totem Polar]

https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-892245fc90c672f42c9bee8a3be16b80-c

[TGS]

Sounds about right from my experiences in similar places.

Life Safety isn't really a concept in many locales across the globe.....at least that's the impression I get from seeing people using a cell phone while driving a scooter with their infant in the other arm and a unbalanced load of water jugs strapped on the back.

[nalesq]

After reading the book "Command and Control" by Eric Schlosser, about the history of mishaps and near catastrophes involving US nuclear weapons, it amazes me that other nuclear armed countries like Pakistan, which have virtually no safety culture, have not by now had a major (i.e., mushroom cloud laying) nuclear disaster.


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[txdpd]

I wouldn't be surprised is the wreck started with a tire that couldn't inspection for retread in the US or Western Europe, but since it held air it was exported as recyclable material and diverted to a third world market.

We had an officer put out road flares, downhill from an overturned tanker one day. According to him everyone else was blowing things out of proportion, since the truck wasn't leaking fuel. Stupid know no borders.

If weren't for the fear of heavy handed government repercussions, "safety" would still be a foreign concept in this country. I'm not advocating for big government, but "safety" has to cost less than human lives before people start to care.

[JohnO]

Sounds like it was a High Capacity Assault Cigarette. Time to bring a lawsuit against: http://www.ptc.com.pk/

Well they do say Smoking Kills!

[Sensei]

You have one guess as to where the Little Einsteins who work at and are treated at my hospital go to suck on their cancer sticks.



The gas station behind the hospital. There are literally people wheeling their IV polls over there every 5-10 minutes with a trail of smoke coming from their fingers.

We truly are fighting natural selection.

[Chance]

You have one guess as to where the Little Einsteins who work at and are treated at my hospital go to suck on their cancer sticks.



The gas station behind the hospital. There are literally people wheeling their IV polls over there every 5-10 minutes with a trail of smoke coming from their fingers.

We truly are fighting natural selection.

That is hilarious and horrifying.

[Duelist]

Completely believable.

Yup.

[critter]

So 150 die as a result of a Darwin Award candidate proving he's worthy of the title. What a crock assed way to go.

[randy dragon]

To be fair to the cigarette smoking man, the others seem like they were pretty good candidates themselves. They knew what it was and apparently were trying to loot it. Maybe I'm being a little harsh and it wasn't technically looting, because it would have just drained into the ground anyway. Also, it wasn't mentioned in this article, but I read somewhere else that the driver had attempted to get everyone away from the crash and was warning them it wasn't worth the risk. Sounds like a good dude, I hope he made it out.

[VT1032]

From BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-40396036):



Unbelievable. What rocket surgeon lights a cigarette while standing in a giant puddle of fuel?

A fueler... Just about every fueler I've ever met in the Army smokes and has no problem doing it right next to their truck, regs be damned. I've got 5 in my platoon and every one of them smokes. Me, I don't smoke, and I don't screw around near fuel either. Seen and heard enough horror stories. Diesel is harder to blow yourself up with, but gasoline is no joke. Add to that the fact that pumps fail and pumping gas is a lot more dangerous then most people think. I had a hose burst directly on me while pumping gas once, covering my lower half in gas and creating a huge spill. Luckily there was no static electicity or anything else, because I would have been a human candle...

These are all static electricity or cell phones, never mind a cigarette.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuZxFL9cGkI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gct1BmKNvU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xjINRdfezE

I can't find the video, but there is one of a fueler in afghanistan who blows up himself and his whole truck because of static electricity.

[TGS]

To be fair to the cigarette smoking man, the others seem like they were pretty good candidates themselves.

Running out into the street to stand in a puddle of fuel while collecting it with an open top bucket and getting covered in the splashes?

Naw.....

[Coyotesfan97]

I worked at a full service gas station during college. I don't know how many times I had to yell at people pumping gas not to smoke. Honest to God when you see the pump jockey running its time to run yourself!

[TAZ]

Completely believable.

Yup, yup and yup. As George Carlin said: think about how stupid the average person is. Now realize that 50% are dumber that that.

[muddychi]

Insha'Allah

[Chance]

Also, it wasn't mentioned in this article, but I read somewhere else that the driver had attempted to get everyone away from the crash and was warning them it wasn't worth the risk. Sounds like a good dude, I hope he made it out.

There were police on scene trying to keep people away, but once word got out, people were calling family members in other villages to come get their share.

[MistWolf]

A fueler... Just about every fueler I've ever met in the Army smokes and has no problem doing it right next to their truck, regs be damned. I've got 5 in my platoon and every one of them smokes. Me, I don't smoke, and I don't screw around near fuel either. Seen and heard enough horror stories. Diesel is harder to blow yourself up with, but gasoline is no joke

I've seen it with civilian fuelers working at FBOs. Smoking next to the truck while refueling aircraft, JP and AvGas

[Peally]

Shame about anyone random caught in the area. As for the thieves I have very little sympathy.

[Chance]

Shame about anyone random caught in the area. As for the thieves I have very little sympathy.

They weren't stealing anything that couldn't be recovered. They sound like scavengers to me. If I grew up in the ass-end of the earth, I would take whatever I could find too.

[Shotgun]

From BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-40396036):



Unbelievable. What rocket surgeon lights a cigarette while standing in a giant puddle of fuel?

You can't fix stupid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQv7Tr8HbGE

[SeriousStudent]

You can't fix stupid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQv7Tr8HbGE

I was actually in the audience the night they filmed that.

</thread drift>

[NEPAKevin]

They weren't stealing anything that couldn't be recovered.

I try not to think of them as scavengers and thieves but rather envirofriendly Haz-mat recovery entrepreneurs.

[Chance]

You can't fix stupid.

Dude with the cigarette fixed it fine. Too bad he took 156 other people with him. They've temporarily buried 125 people (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40418969), I'm guessing to be in accordance with Islamic tradition.

[Peally]

Now standing by for a story in a week about someone involved in a revenge attack.