Pakistani hero drives away burning oil tanker to save lives

Burning oil tanker

Faisal risks his life to drive tanker filled with petrol away from fuel station and crowd

A Pakistani driver is being hailed as a hero after he saved many lives by driving a burning oil tanker away from a fuel pump in Balochistan province.

Mohammad Faisal was emptying the tanker at a fuel station on the Qambrani Road area near Quetta when the vehicle caught fire. The sudden blaze alarmed the people in the surroundings as they started frantically fleeing for safety.

When faced with a choice between saving his own life or the lives of many others, he chose the latter. “It was a split-second decision. I saw flames blazing and I instantly decided to drive the burning vehicle away from the people and the petrol pump,” Mohammad Faisal told the media.

In the face of catastrophe, Faisal sprung to action and risked his life to speed away the oil tanker filled with 10,000 litres of petrol to a distance of about three kilometres despite the blaze. “The only thing that was important to me at that moment was to save as many lives as possible,” Faisal said.

Driving the blazing oil tanker

The dramatic video shared on social media showed Faisal driving the blazing oil tanker away from the fuel station and crowded neighbourhood, leaving behind a trail of fire and thick black smoke. He was continually blaring the horn and speeding until he found a vacant open area to park the tanker. The video shared thousands of times on social media platforms earned him praise and attention as people called him a “true hero.”

Saeed Ahmad Shahwani, the owner of the oil tanker and petrol pump, also hailed Faisal as a “real hero.” Shahwani said that tanker would have burned anyway but Faisal’s “courageous move and quick thinking” saved many lives and massive devastation that would have occurred if the fire had engulfed the whole petrol pump.

Recognition and cash award

After the video of the brave driver went viral and he was recognized as a “hero” on social media, the government of Balochistan announced a cash reward for him.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo offered a reward of Rs500,000 for the driver for saving many lives by risking his own life.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also conveyed “deep gratitude” to the driver for his “selfless service to humanity.”

Faisal has also been invited by the prime minister to Islamabad, said Salman Sufi, head of the prime minister’s strategic reforms team.

While many citizens praised Faisal, some demanded more stringent safety measures for the safety of drivers and oil tankers as well as training to efficiently and safely handle the emergency response to tanker incidents. In 2017, at least 200 people were killed in the Bahawalpur oil tanker explosion in one of the worst fire incidents in Pakistan.