DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A Rescue 1122 worker was killed, and two others were injured when an ambulance came under fire while transporting the bodies of people killed in an explosion near the Aman Mela checkpost in Darazinda tehsil here on Saturday, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Sharifullah, while Anees and Imtiaz sustained injuries in the firing.

The injured were provided immediate medical assistance and shifted to the hospital, according to Rescue 1122 officials.

The incident occurred as rescue teams were transporting the bodies recovered from the site of the explosion.

Despite the firing, the rescue operation continued, with teams completing the recovery and transportation of the deceased and the injured.

The explosion near Aman Mela checkpost had earlier prompted the Darazinda Rescue 1122 station team to reach the site and launch relief operations.

On the directives of District Emergency Officer Mohammad Arif Khan, additional ambulances and rescue personnel were dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan.

A total of eight ambulances, 25 rescuers and a rescue and recovery vehicle took part in the operation, officials said.

Rescue personnel provided first aid to the injured at the site and shifted them to hospitals.

According to the rescue service’s initial assessment, 11 people were killed and over 35 injured in the explosion. Twenty-five injured people were shifted to hospitals.

Police later put the death toll at 12, with 35 people injured.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the Aman Mela joint checkpost and a neighbouring house. Rescue teams conducted search and recovery operations at the site amid fears that people could have been trapped under the rubble.

The circumstances surrounding the firing on the ambulance and the identity of those responsible were not immediately known.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026