At least 10 people were killed in an overnight explosion involving an oxygen cylinder inside a parked ambulance at a government-run medical facility in southern Pakistan, according to police and hospital officials. The incident took place in the Tharparkar district of Sindh province.
District Police Chief Arif Aziz confirmed that the victims included staff members from the medical facility, as well as patients and their relatives. Local police official Khalil Abro stated that the explosion occurred while patients were in the process of being transferred to another hospital.
Visual evidence from the scene, including images shared on social media and on television stations, depicted flames engulfing the vehicle with one of its doors hanging open. Other footage revealed the ambulance's blackened frame stationed outside a building, surrounded by onlookers.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement expressing his sorrow over the loss of life. He called for a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the exact cause of the blast. Furthermore, the president urged authorities to implement stronger safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future, offered his condolences to the families of the victims, and expressed his wishes for the recovery of those injured.
This incident follows a separate tragedy in August, when an exploding air conditioner triggered a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, resulting in the deaths of 14 newborns. The only baby rescued from that nursery succumbed to their injuries weeks later, bringing the total death toll of that event to 15.
KARACHI, Pakistan — KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — An oxygen cylinder exploded inside a parked ambulance at a government-run medical facility in southern Pakistan, killing at least 10 people, including a patient of the facility, police and hospital officials said Thursday.
