TOBA TEK SINGH(National Times)- A 45-year-old woman was burnt alive and four others, including three of her relatives, received critical burns after an ambulance caught fire near Chak 347/GB on Toba-Khikha Road on Sunday.

According to Rescue 1122 and police, the ambulance of the Rural Health Centre Sindhillianwali was on its way back to the centre after getting a woman patient, Sallan Bibi (75), examined at the District Headquarters Hospital Toba. The old woman was accompanied by her daughter, Sabiha Bibi (45), son Sarfraz Ahmed (44) and another daughter Bakht Bibi (55), belonging to Chak Kot Karamshah of tehsil Pirmahal. Due to an electric short circuit, the fire erupted in the ambulance. No one could come out of the ambulance on time while the people tried to extinguish the fire after a hectic struggle.

As a result of the fire, Sahiba was burnt alive while her patient mother Sallan Bibi (75), brother Sarfraz, sister Bakht and ambulance driver Asad Ramzan (35) received serious burns. All four of them were shifted to Toba DHQ Hospital.

In another incident, four buffalos were burnt alive while four other animals received serious burns after a fire broke out at a garbage heap that later engulfed the nearby cattle pen at Chak 11/8-R of tehsil Mian Channu.

The firefighters controlled the fire. Cattle owner Sikandar estimated his total loss to be more than Rs5m.