Oxygen cylinder explodes inside ambulance, killing at least 10 in Pakistan

An oxygen cylinder explosion inside an ambulance at a government-run medical facility in southern Pakistan killed at least 10 people, including a patient, police and hospital officials said Thursday.

The blast occurred overnight in Tharparkar district in Sindh province, district police chief Arif Aziz said.

The victims included medical facility staff, patients and their relatives, he said.

Local police official Khalil Abro said patients were being transferred to another hospital when the explosion occurred.

Images shared on social media and broadcast by television stations showed flames engulfing the ambulance, with one of its doors open. Another image showed the vehicle’s charred frame outside a building as people gathered nearby.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and called for a prompt and transparent investigation to determine the cause of the explosion, according to a statement from his office.

He also urged authorities to strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents, offered condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

In August, a fire triggered by an exploding air conditioner killed 14 newborns in a nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. The only baby rescued from the nursery died weeks later, bringing the death toll to 15.