Daily Times

A Laboratory technician who received flame burns at GovtShehbazShirf Hospital (GSSH) in a cylinder blast on Friday night died at Pak Italian Modern Burn centre on Saturday morning. The hospital sources told APP that Shakir (30) was 95 percent burnt when he was brought to health facility late Friday night. They informed he died of flame burns today morning adding that medically survival of such patients is impossible. Funeral prayer of the deceased was offered at Wahdat Colony after Magrib which was attended by relatives, friends, health deptt officials, doctors, paramedics and other colleagues.

An official source at GSSH said that Shakir caught fire first and later on a blast occurred which damaged the first floor of the hospital badly. Window panes, doors, and gates were shattered, the source said and added that debris fell on two parked cars which were totally damaged. The hospital faced a great loss, the source informed and added the lab technician was a nice chap.

MS, Dr Rao Amjad informed this news agency that the deceased was only staffer in the lab at night duty and had returned to duty after saying Isha prayer. He stated that normally he offers ‘Taravi’ too but last night he did not. The MS noted that infrastructure was vandalized with windows, doors, gates, his office 8mm table mirror besides shattering of windows and gates of pharmacies and bank in front of the hospital. Replying a question, DrAmjad said that according to Bomb Disposal Squad, Civil defence and police officials conducting inquiry into the incident, apparently gases of Air Conditioners-two split units and a standing AC installed in the lab caused the blast. To another question, he replied that an inquiry committee constituted by DC Amir Karim met today where he briefed it about the explosion. He quoted Shakir as telling hospital colleagues during his statement that when he sat on his table after returning from prayers, he caught fire suddenly from AC side.

Separately, Secretary P&SHC, South Punjab Tanvir Iqbal formed an inquiry committee tasking additional secretary (Admin) Qamar uz Zaman Qaisrani to submit report within 48 hours on the incident. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the sad incident at GSSH and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to have details about it. The premier ordered the officials concerned to extend best health facilities to injured and prayed for fast recovery. He sympathized with the affected families.