'Fireball' engulfs Pakistan ship

Families of those on board wait anxiously for news

At least six people have died and more than 90 others have been wounded in a fire on a navy ship docked in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.

A "fireball" engulfed the logistics vessel during routine maintenance and cleaning work, a navy spokesman said.

He said that the wounded - some of whom are reported to have been severely burnt in the restricted dockyard area - were being treated in a navy hospital.

Officials refuse to speculate on what could have been the cause of the fire.

'Fire extinguished'

"There was a huge fireball," navy spokesman Salman Ali told the Reuters news agency.

"Thank God, now the fire has been extinguished."

Mr Ali said that the blaze broke out during maintenance work on PNS Moawin, an auxiliary vessel that serves as one of two fleet tankers. It is reported to be badly damaged.

The BBC's Idrees Bakhtiar in Karachi saw numerous helicopters and dozens of ambulances taking the injured to hospital.

Our correspondent says a massive security ring has been thrown around the scene of the blaze.

Mr Ali said the fire was an accident. "It occurred because of human error," he told the Associated Press news agency.

"I confirm that six people died and 95 are being treated," he said, adding that as many as 54 people were in a serious condition.

Correspondents say doctors fear other sailors could still be trapped on the ship, and that medics have been put on emergency call to help deal with the situation.

The fire took place about a week after Pakistan and neighbouring Iran held joint naval exercises in the Arabian Sea.