Oxygen Tank Blast at Sindh Clinic Kills 10

An oxygen cylinder exploded inside a parked ambulance at a government medical facility in Tharparkar district, killing at least 10 people overnight in Sindh province, police said Thursday. District Police Chief Arif Aziz confirmed the incident occurred in the southern region, with victims including facility staff, patients, and their relatives.

Local police official Khalil Abro stated that medical personnel were transferring patients to another hospital when the device burst. Footage from social media and television networks showed flames consuming the vehicle with one door open. Subsequent images displayed the blackened frame of the ambulance outside a building as bystanders gathered nearby.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the deaths in a statement from his office. He called for a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. Zardari also urged authorities to strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents, offered condolences to the families of the dead, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

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