BADIN: A married woman and seven children, who were among 28 people who suffered severe burns when a power generator mounted on a pick-up van caught fire in Tando Ghulam Ali town on Sept 3, died over the week in different hospitals of Hyderabad and Karachi.

Family sources told this reporter on Sunday that the deceased were identified as Ms Rani, Sheru, Babu, Harish, Sunil, Sanje and Ponjo belonging to Bheel and Meghwar communities and Amina Sheedi.

They were among a large group of revelers who were going to New Dumbalo town on the pick-up van to celebrate a local religious fair when the power generator exploded while being refueled.

Dr Mohan Bheel, social activist and relative of some of the victims, confirmed the deaths and said that except Ms Rani all others were young children who had died over the past three days.

He said that 12 victims were still under treatment in different hospitals in Hyderabad and Karachi but neither media considered the incident worth reporting nor any government functionary bothered to share their grief and extent help to the poor people.

Dr Bheel demanded the Sindh government should announce compensation for the heirs of the victims and bear cost of treatment of the rest.

PPP MPA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur said that he would take up the issue of compensation for the heirs of the victims with the authorities concerned and he had already spoken to heath department urging them to provide free of cost treatment to the rest of victims.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2018