Child victim breathes his last at hospital

23 were transferred to Jinnah Hospital with 80% burns and their condition is unstable

LAHORE: Seven-year-old Bahalwapur tanker fire victim, Ajmal, succumbed to injuries during Eid at Jinnah Hospital on Wednesday.

The body of the victim was transferred to his native town where he was laid to rest.

Following the Bahawalpur incident, 23 people, with more than 80% burns, had been transferred to Jinnah Hospital where doctors said their condition was unstable.

During Eid days, several dignitaries, including Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief of Air Staff, Sohail Aman, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Cricketer Imran Nazir and Awami Muslim League Leader Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed visited the hospital. They inquired about the health of the injured and expressed solidarity with the families who lost loved ones.



|According to a PAF press release, Air Chief said that air force and the entire nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the victims and families of the tragic incident. He also assured that PAF would continue to provide assistance to the injured and their families.

At least 148 people were burnt alive and over 200 seriously injured after an overturned oil tanker caught fire on Sunday morning. Most of the victims were trying to take fuel which had leaking from the vehicle onto the road.

The tanker was carrying 40,000 litres of fuel. It overturned near Ahmedpur East on the main highway from Karachi to Lahore.

Earlier on Monday, on the instructions of Air Chief, a PAF C-130 aircraft, along with doctors and paramedical staff, took 23 burn victims and their attendants to Lahore.

Later, the injured were shifted to the Burn Centre of Jinnah Hospital for better medical care.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also announced compensation worth Rs2 million for each of deceased’s families, while Rs1 million would be given to each of the injured. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2017.