A patient died and two others were injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded in an ambulance in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Thursday evening, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Sujosh Barik (35), a resident of Kundabai within Udala police limits.
He was suffering from a severe blood infection and was being shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar when the incident took place outside Udala Sub-Divisional Hospital.
"The patient died inside the ambulance due to the fire caused by the oxygen cylinder blast. Two others also suffered burn injuries while rescuing the patient," Udala police station inspector-in-charge Banamali Barik said.
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The ambulance had been hired from a private operator, and a case has been registered, police said.
According to police, the explosion took place when the ambulance driver opened the oxygen cylinder's valve to provide oxygen to the patient.
"It is suspected that a sudden leak from the oxygen cylinder triggered the fire. The fire quickly intensified, and the cylinder exploded," Barik said.
Family members managed to pull the patient out of the burning ambulance, but he had suffered severe burn injuries and died within minutes, police said.
The explosion was so powerful that the roof of the ambulance was blown off. Firefighters later brought the blaze under control, police said.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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