Tharparkar ambulance blast: oxygen cylinder explosion in Nagarparkar kills at least 9
Health staff and a new mother's attendants were among the dead after a cylinder blew up in a PPHI ambulance. What happened, who died and the inquiry ordered.
At least nine people were killed when an oxygen cylinder exploded inside an ambulance at a government-run health centre in Nagarparkar, Tharparkar, on Wednesday night, 28 October. Mithi Deputy Commissioner Hameed Jagirani confirmed the toll of nine on Thursday; some media reports put it at 10 after more of the injured died overnight.
The ambulance, run by the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), was parked at the basic health unit in Dano Dhandhal and was being readied to take a patient to hospital.
What happened in the Tharparkar ambulance?
According to the deputy commissioner, the patient was a woman who had given birth to a baby boy at the health unit and had developed complications after surgery. Staff were moving her to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mithi, and the explosion happened while an oxygen cylinder was being connected for her inside the vehicle. The ambulance caught fire.
Nagarparkar Assistant Commissioner Erum Karim Narejo said the ambulance was standing at the facility, not on the road, when it went up. Seven people died on the spot or that night, and five were left with burns.
Who were the victims?
PPHI District Manager Ibrahim Kumbhar said health facility staff were among the dead. Police listed the ambulance driver, the centre’s watchman, a dispenser and an attendant among those killed, along with relatives and two women. Officials have not yet given a final confirmed list, and early accounts differ on whether the new mother and her baby survived, so we are not reporting that until it is confirmed.
Police said two midwives and a female attendant were among the injured. They were taken to the Civil Hospital in Mithi and later moved to Karachi for burn treatment, according to the Tharparkar SSP.
What has the government ordered?
- President Asif Ali Zardari asked for an immediate and transparent inquiry and a review of safety arrangements in government ambulances and health facilities.
- Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced Rs2 million for each bereaved family, ordered the best possible treatment for the injured and sent MPA Qasim Soomro to Nagarparkar to oversee relief.
- PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said anyone found responsible should face the strictest punishment if negligence or a criminal act is proven.
- Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar sought a report from the SSP and deputy commissioner. A provincial government spokesperson said expert teams from Mirpurkhas and Karachi have been called in to examine the cylinder and the vehicle.
Why it matters for Thar
For many families in Nagarparkar, the PPHI health unit and its ambulance are the only link to a proper hospital, which in this case meant a long drive to Mithi. Oxygen cylinders are routine kit in these ambulances, and they are supposed to be checked, stored upright and fitted with working regulators. The inquiry now has to answer a basic question: was this a faulty cylinder, a refill problem or a fitting done wrong, and how many other ambulances in the district carry the same risk.
The experts’ first findings are expected in the coming days.
