Oxygen Cylinder Explosion Kills 10 in Pakistan Ambulance

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 from the facility, officials said.

The blast occurred overnight in the Tharparkar district of Sindh province, according to district Police Chief Arif Aziz. He stated that the victims included staff at the medical facility, patients, and their relatives.

Local police official Khalil Abro reported that patients were in the process of being transferred to another hospital when the explosion happened. Social media and television images depicted flames engulfing the vehicle, with one door open. Another image showed the blackened frame of the ambulance outside a building as onlookers gathered.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari conveyed his sorrow over the fatalities and called for a prompt and transparent investigation into the cause, according to a statement from his office. He also urged authorities to enhance safety measures to avert similar incidents, extended condolences to the victims' families, and wished the injured a swift recovery.

This incident follows a fire in August, triggered by an exploding air conditioner, which killed 14 newborns in a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. An infant rescued from that nursery died weeks later, bringing the total death toll from that event to 15.