RAWALPINDI: A man injured after a passenger van caught fire on Chakri Road on Tuesday died at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) early morning on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from theincidentto three.

Doctors at the hospital have described the conditions of two other victims, including the van driver, as critical, saying they have sustained between 30 and 80pc burns. A doctor said burn victims with over 25pc burns are always consid-ered to be in a dangerous position.

Mohammad Rafiq, 40, was brought to the hospital on Tuesday with 100pc burns along with six other victims who were trappedinthe van afteritcaughthre.

Two-year-old Alisha and another passenger identified as Aurangzeb, 50, died yesterday from injuries sustained in the accident.

The body of the toddler was handed over to relatives and her grandmother, 45-year-old Lal Bibi was discharged from the hospital with minor burn injuries.

Three other victims van driver Faizul Haq, 45, Mohammad Shabir, 35, and Af tab Ahmed, 30 are still in hospital.

In a statement recorded with the police, Lal Bibi said she was sitting with her granddaughter in the middle of the van when it caught fire. The investigatingofficer quoted her as saying there was no sound, such as a gas cylinder explosion, before the fire broke out. Passengers sitting in the back of the van managed to escape but those in the front were trapped and seriously injured.

The van, which was carrying 15 passengers, was travelling to the Harial village in Chontra from Rawalpindi when it caught fire on Chakri Road near the Chahan village.

Separately, a woman and her four-yearold daughter were hospitalised after they were allegedly poisoned by two women, who later escaped with Rs1.5 million and mobile phones in the Banni area on Wednesday, while another family was robbed of Rs400,000 by armed individuals on Range Road.

Tazeem Akhtar and her daughter Iqrawere home when the night watchman brought over two women interviewing for jobs as domestic employees. Ms Akhtar and her daughter fainted during the interview, allegedly after being exposed to a poisonous substance by the two women.

The women then stole Rs1.5 million, mobile phones and other valuables that have not yet been listed by the victims, and escaped.

The victims were taken to HFH, where they were said to be out of danger.

Atif Shahzad`s home on Range Road was robbed by four unidentified armed individuals early on Wednesday. The robbers held the family at gunpoint and stole Rs400,000, gold jewellery worth Rs500,000 and mobile phones and escaped.