Islamabad: At least 123 people were killed and scores injured in a fire that erupted after an oil tanker overturned in central Pakistan early this morning as crowds rushed to collect fuel, an official said.

The tanker carrying 40,000 litres of fuel overturned on a main highway while travelling from Karachi to Lahore, near the town of Ahmedpur East in Punjab. Details were unclear but some witnesses suggested the tanker had suffered a burst tyre, said regional police chief Raja Riffat.

“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,” Riffat said.

“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.” Television footage showed shooting flames and a thick plume of smoke as fire-fighters battled to extinguish the blaze.

The charred wreckage of dozens of motorcycles and cars could be seen scattered on the highway, along with kitchen utensils, pots, water coolers, jerry cans and buckets which victims had brought to collect the petrol. “Many bodies could not be identified as they have been charred very badly,” Riffat said.