Two factory fires in Pakistan claim over 100 lives

[Shardul.....the lion]

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 107 people were killed in two separate factory fire incidents that occurred on Tuesday in Pakistan's two largest cities of Lahore and Karachi, said local authorities and media reports on Wednesday.

In the first fire incident at a shoe factory in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore in Punjab province on Tuesday afternoon, 26 people were killed and another 26 injured.

In the second incident which took place at a garments factory in the country's southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday evening, so far 81 people have reportedly been killed with dozens of bodies still being trapped inside the factory building.


Two factory fires in Pakistan claim over 100 lives - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Rest in peace, a very tragic incidents.

 

[EagleEyes]

Very unfortunate incident. More needs to be invested in the rescue efforts and companies must allocate some of the budget for safety equipment and checks.

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Very unfortunate incident. More needs to be invested in the rescue efforts and companies must allocate some of the budget for safety equipment and checks.

Safety is given least priority in subcontinent. There was similar fire in India in crackers factory which claimed 30-40 lives. Factory owner and management should be put in jail and fined heavily.

 

[Frank Martin]

very sad incident...what was the cause of fire? RIP to the deceased :-(

 

[Icarus]

Very sad indeed, RIP to the dead.

 

[Splurgenxs]

Pakistan seriously needs a break. this is so stupid. What a waste.

Rest in Peace.

 

[Huda]

The rescue workers have pulled as many as 212 charred remains from the garment factory in Baldia town area of Karachi on Wednesday, which was gutted by a huge blaze.

Fire department officials said that they had managed to control fire in most parts of the factory and were now trying to recover bodies of the dead from the building.

The factory structure, exposed to a sweltering blaze for over several hours, was now in a precarious condition with cracks appearing in its walls. The building had sagged from one side and rescue officials too had warned that the building could collapse at any moment, officials said.

Meanwhile, Governor Sindh Ishratul Ebad has announced a day of mourning in the city on Wednesday.

While some parts of Karachi were dealing with flooding from heavy rain, a huge blaze gutted a garment factory on the city’s outskirts on Tuesday evening.

So potent was the blaze that firefighters admitted they were unable to complete the rescue operation due to the intensity of the fire and shortage of water – despite help from the Pakistan Navy’s firefighting team.

There were about 2000 workers present in the three-storey, 2,000-sq-yard factory located on Hub River Road when the fire broke at around 6 pm.

The bodies and injured were transferred at the Civil, Abbasi Shaheed and Jinnah hospitals.

At least 35 fire vehicles were at the site. District West SSP Amir Farooqui said that an exact death toll could not be ascertained until the fire was extinguished. He further said that the cause of the fire is still unknown, adding that an inquiry would be conducted in this regard.

The commissioner of Karachi has ordered police to lodge an FIR against the factory owner.

Terming it a third degree fire, fire brigade officials said the blaze had completely engulfed and damaged the infrastructure of the building.

Extra contingents of Rangers and police also reached the site to avoid any untoward incident as scores of people, including workers of nearby factories and victims’ relatives, gathered outside. According to reports, the crowd also tried to participate in the rescue operation, which sparked off a scuffle with law enforcers.