Title: At least 17 dead in chemical factory fire in Karachi
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At least 17 factory workers have so far died and two members of a fire fighting team injured after a blaze erupted in a chemical factory in Mehran Town area of Korangi in Karachi on Friday.
Owing to the severity of the fire, it was reported that all of the city’s fire tenders had to be assembled to aid rescue efforts. Soon after, fire brigade officials declared the blaze to be a third-degree fire.
Officials also noted that several workers were still trapped inside the factory, and there was a risk of them suffocating to death inside the factory. They added that efforts were underway to tear down the factory's walls to let the smoke out.
According to sources, 13 bodies had so far been recovered from the second floor of the factory. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
It was further reported that a firefighter fell from the building during the operation and was seriously injured. The bodies and injured have been shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Hospital.
Read Factory fire put out after 21 hours
CM takes notice
Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives, and sought a report from the commissioner Karachi and the labour department.
He questioned how the incident took place and whether any security measures were in place. “How did so many casualties occur?” Shah further inquired.
The chief minister also directed relevant authorities to provide full support to the families of the deceased workers.
Earlier on May 31, a garments factory in the Gabol Town locality of New Karachi Industrial Area was gutted in a fire.
The North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI) and the factory owner said that the fire department's response was slow which caused the flames to engulf the entire three-storey factory.
The fire brigade deployed at least 13 fire tenders to bring down the blaze after three hours of efforts. Initial reports suggest that an electrical short circuit caused the fire.
Millions of rupees worth of yarn, cloth and hosiery were reduced to ashes along with furniture, fixtures and equipment at the Al-Awwal Garments factory.
Published Date: 27-Aug-2021
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