Islamabad, 29 October (H.S.): At least eight people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in an explosion involving an oxygen cylinder at a primary health centre (PHC) in Pakistan’s Tharparkar district in Sindh province. Rescue officials based in Mithi, the district headquarters, confirmed the incident.

Located in the southeastern part of Sindh, Tharparkar falls within the Thar Desert and is home to Pakistan’s largest Hindu-majority population at the district level.

According to a report by The News, Tharparkar rescue officials said seven people, including the pregnant woman, died at the scene after the explosion triggered a fire in an ambulance parked at the health centre. Several severely burnt people were shifted to Mithi in another ambulance for better medical treatment, but one of them died en route.

According to rescue officials, the incident occurred while the ambulance’s oxygen cylinder was being replaced. Assistant Commissioner Iram Karim Narejo said the ambulance was parked inside the health centre when the explosion took place. The report, published on October 29, did not specify the date on which the tragedy occurred.

Police said the deceased included a dispenser, an ambulance driver, a watchman and another employee of the primary health centre. The pregnant woman and two people accompanying her also lost their lives.

Among those injured were two midwives and a female attendant. Sindh Home and Law Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar has taken notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the Senior Superintendent of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Tharparkar.

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the state of healthcare facilities and emergency transport services in Tharparkar, a drought-prone desert region where residents largely depend on government-run medical facilities for treatment.

In October 2019, Geo TV reported that the Civil Hospital in Mithi had refused to provide an ambulance to transport the body of an infant, citing a shortage of funds for fuel.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar