Tharparkar ambulance blast: 8 killed as oxygen cylinder explodes at Nagarparkar health centre

Eight people were killed when an oxygen cylinder exploded inside an ambulance at a government health centre in Nagarparkar, Tharparkar district of Sindh, Geo News reported. The dead include a pregnant woman who was inside the vehicle, the ambulance driver, a dispenser of the People's Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), a watchman and another staff member.

The toll rose to eight after one of the injured died on the way to Civil Hospital Mithi, according to Geo. ARY News also reported eight dead and five injured.

How the Nagarparkar blast happened

The PPHI ambulance was parked at a Basic Health Unit (BHU) Plus. Staff were changing or fitting its oxygen cylinder when it blew up and the vehicle caught fire, Geo reported, citing police and the hospital administration. A pregnant woman who had been brought for care was still inside.

Assistant Commissioner Nagarparkar Erum Karim Narejo confirmed that the ambulance was parked at the facility when the explosion happened. Police said two midwives and a female attendant from the health centre were among the injured. They were first taken to Mithi and later moved to Karachi for treatment, the Tharparkar SSP said.

The cause has not been officially confirmed. Expert teams from Mirpurkhas and Karachi have been called in to examine the site.

Government response

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar took notice, sought reports from the Tharparkar SSP and deputy commissioner, and directed immediate treatment for the injured, his spokesperson said. He also offered condolences to the families.

Oxygen cylinder safety: what health workers and families should know

Medical oxygen does not burn on its own, but it makes anything nearby burn far faster. Most cylinder accidents happen while a cylinder is being swapped or moved. The basic rules used by hospitals:

• Keep cylinders upright and chained, and never drop or roll them.
• Keep oil, grease, hand creams and petroleum jelly away from valves and regulators.
• No smoking, open flame or running engine close to a cylinder being changed.
• Open the valve slowly, and close it fully when not in use.
• A hissing valve or damaged regulator means stop and report it.

Families using oxygen at home for a patient should follow the supplier's instructions and keep the cylinder in a ventilated room away from the kitchen stove.

Tharparkar is one of Sindh's poorest districts, and its health centres and ambulances serve villages spread across the desert, often hours from Mithi or Hyderabad. We will update this story when the investigation reports.

For other health notices and hospital listings in Sindh, see hospitals in Karachi and hospitals in Hyderabad.