At least 17 killed as blaze guts chemical factory in Karachi

KARACHI: At least 17 factory workers were killed in a fire that broke out in a chemical factory in Karachi, which rescue officials said only had a single entrance.

The blaze broke out at a factory in the metropolis’ industrial zone of Korangi, Geo News reported. Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed said the bodies of 16 labourers were retrieved from the building. A 17th worker died later. Jinnah Hospital, one of Karachi’s biggest public sector hospitals, confirmed receiving 16 bodies of which 12 were identified.

“There is only one way to enter the factory,” the chief fire officer said, explaining that the door to the factory’s roof was locked, making it impossible for the workers to escape to the relative safety of the rooftop. Every single window of the factory was barred, which he said is illegal in such establishments.

Footage on television showed vast plumes of smoke above the gutted first floor of the building as firefighters tried to bring the blaze under control, with panicked loved ones calling on rescuers to help their trapped relatives. Geo News reported at least four of a single family are among the dead. Two firefighters were injured, likely due to smoke inhalation.

The firefighters were still combing the building once more in case anyone was left. “After the search operation is complete, we will begin to examine the events that unfolded,” Mubeen Ahmed said, adding that the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah sought a report from the Commissioner Karachi and labour department on how the fire broke out, provincial government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said.

The Sindh CM asked the concerned authorities to explain how the incident took place, what precautionary and safety arrangements were taken in the factory and how so many lives were lost. Shah gave orders to extend full support to the bereaved families and said the injured should be given full treatment.

The incident was a reminder of another deadly fire, the Baldia factory inferno, in which 260 people were killed in 2012. The victims were trapped in the building with no exits. The incident was later determined to be arson.