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Tanker blast kills 18 in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan, June 28 (UPI) -- A parked chemical tanker truck blew up in Pakistan's Hyderabad city, killing at least 18 people, police said, calling the blast an accident.

At least 40 more people were injured in the explosion in the Halanaka area of the city in Sind province, 120 miles north of Karachi, capital of the province and Pakistan's largest city and port.

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The tanker was parked outside a scrap depot, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Geo New quoted police official Muhammed Ali Baloch as saying the tanker, which was carrying paint thinner, exploded after pressure developed inside and ruled out any terror links to the incident.

He said nine of the injured were in critical condition.

Other officials blamed the blast on an exploding gas cylinder at a nearby welding shop, the BBC reported.

"Though we are still investigating, the explosion seems to be just an accident and not an act of sabotage," a police official said.

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