THARPARKAR: The death toll from an oxygen cylinder explosion in a parked ambulance at a basic health unit (BHU) Plus facility in Tharparkar has risen to eight after one of the injured died while being taken to Mithi, rescue officials said.
The ambulance, operated by the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), caught fire while staff were changing its oxygen cylinder, according to rescue officials.
Assistant Commissioner Nagarparkar Erum Karim Narejo said the ambulance was parked at the health facility when the explosion occurred.
Hospital administration said a pregnant woman was still inside the ambulance when staff began fitting the oxygen cylinder. An explosion during the process triggered the fire.
Police said those killed included a PPHI dispenser, the ambulance driver, a watchman and another employee.
The victims also included a pregnant woman and two attendants, according to earlier information provided by rescue officials.
Police said two midwives and a female attendant at the basic health centre were among the injured.
The injured were being shifted to Civil Hospital Mithi for treatment, while teams from the district administration, rescue services and the health department were present at the scene.
Authorities were also working to establish the identities of the deceased.
The incident has renewed attention on healthcare and emergency transport in Tharparkar, a largely arid district where residents often depend on public health facilities for medical care.
