SAHIWAL: The number of victims of last week’s cylinder blast here reached six after five people died in Lahore on Saturday night. The first victim succumbed to her injuries four days ago.

On Nov 5, a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder exploded in the house of Muhammad Sabir in Azizabad Colony, 90/9-L village while women were cooking at night.

Ten members of the family were critically injured and received third degree burns, including seven children. They were identified as Rehana (31), Rukhsana (35), Mahnaz (30), Zarmisha (3), Nimra (5), Hasan (8), Sohail (11), Razia (15), Sabah Sabir (11) and Naika (3).

Rescue 1122 had shifted the injured to DHQ hospital, which lacked a burns unit so the victims were shifted to Jinnah and Mayo hospitals in Lahore. Children Sohail and Nimra were shifted to Kharian Hospital.

Four days ago, 15-year-old Razia had died at Jinnah Hospital’s burns unit. On Saturday night, five others died, including Sabah, Rukhsana, Rehana, Sohail and Nimra.

DHQ hospital is affiliated with Sahiwal Medical College for three years, yet the hospital lacks a burns unit.

This lack of facility has caused severe problems for patients suffering from third degree burns. Sabir blamed hospital staff for the death of his family members.

A DHQ hospital doctor told Dawn that the burn victims were first brought here and later shifted to Lahore and other cities.

“This causes a lot of delay and a serious third degree burn needs to be treated quickly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2016