BAHAWALPUR: The death tally of the Ahmedpur Sharqia oil tanker tragedy mounted to 203 on Monday.

An overturned oil tanker exploded in a huge fireball in Bahawalpur, killing at least 203 people and injuring scores as hoards of people rushed to scavenge for fuel.

The horrific early morning tragedy came hours before Pakistan was to celebrate festive occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramazan.

The tanker carrying 70,000 litres of fuel overturned on a main highway while travelling from Karachi to Lahore, near the town of Ahmedpur Sharqia in Punjab.

Details were sketchy but some witnesses suggested the tanker had suffered a tire burst, said regional police chief Raja Riffat.—NNI