MITHI: Seven people were burnt to death while five others suffered severe burns when an oxygen cylinder exploded in an ambulance at a Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI)-run hospital in Dano Dhandhal in Tharparkar’s Nagarparkar taluka, rescue officials and police said.

According to rescue personnel, hospital staff were preparing patients for transfer and connecting an oxygen cylinder inside the ambulance when it exploded, setting the vehicle ablaze.

They said seven people died in the fire. Five others, including hospital staff, sustained serious burn injuries and were referred to Mithi for treatment.

Police attributed the incident to an oxygen cylinder explosion and said patients and hospital employees were among the dead and injured.

Rescue personnel identified three of the deceased as Jaswant, ambulance driver Ishaq Thebo and Pandhi Rajar.

The identities of the remaining victims had yet to be confirmed, as the bodies were badly charred, they said.

Local people alleged that inadequate facilities at the hospitals run by the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative in Tharparkar had contributed to the incident.

Meanwhile the police officials added that they were also investigating other angles.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2026