19-year-old ambulance driver killed in Moga O2 cylinder blast

THE FAMILY OF THE PATIENT HAD ILLEGALLY BROUGHT THE CYLINDER HOME AND WANTED THE DRIVER TO CHECK IT IN THE ABSENCE OF A TECHNICIAN

MOGA: A 19-year-old ambulance driver was killed and a 32-year-old person seriously injured when an oxygen cylinder exploded at the house of a Covid-19 patient at Kokri Vehnival village in Moga district, police said on Tuesday.

The district administration has initiated an inquiry into the incident.

The driver, Satnam Singh, had just brought the patient Ajmer Singh, 65, home from a private hospital and was checking the cylinder kept in the house when the blast occurred late on Monday night. Ajmer did not receive any injury as he was in the ambulance parked outside the house.

The injured, identified as Sukhdeep Singh, 32, a relative of Ajmer, has been hospitalised.

Satnam’s father Avtar Singh said, “The elderly patient was on oxygen support in a private hospital of Moga. But when his health deteriorated, he was referred to a level-3 hospital. The family, however, decided to take him home.”

“My son was assigned the task of driving him back home. Once there, the patient requested my son to check the oxygen cylinder as there was no technical staff with them. The cylinder exploded in the process and my young son died on the spot,” he said.

As per hospital authorities, the patient’s family had hired a private ambulance on their own for shifting the patient. “Had the ambulance been from our hospital, we would have definitely sent a technician along,” they added.

Ajitwal police station in-charge Sukhjinder Singh said, “We have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.”

The use of storing oxygen cylinders at home is not allowed in Punjab. State health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu announced on Monday that oxygen cylinders will be issued for use at home on the advice of a doctor for patients post Covid-19 recovery.

Moga SDM Satwant Singh said, “We have started an inquiry into the matter and will take appropriate action as per findings of the probe.”