KARACHI: The city police have registered a case against the owner and several officials of a factory in Mehran Town following a devastating fire that killed 16 labourers.
Taking to Twitter, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab has confirmed the development. “Proper investigation has been initiated in this case and justice will be ensured,” Wahab wrote on Twitter.
The case has been registered against building and factory owner Ali Mehta, manager Imran Zaidi, supervisors Zafar and Rehan, and guard Syed Zareen.
The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under Sections 322 (punishment for murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIR stated that the building did not have an emergency exit or an emergency alarm in case an untoward incident was to take place. “The building is constructed in such a way that no one can exit if there is an emergency situation,” it said.
Meanwhile, Wahab also said that the families of those killed in the incident will receive Rs1 million as compensation by the provincial government.
In a statement, the Karachi administrator said that the provincial government stands with the heirs of the deceased during this difficult time. He added that those injured in the fire were being provided the best possible medical treatment.
The blaze erupted under the stairs of the ground-plus-two-storey factory, situated in Mehran Town of Korangi Industrial Area, and spread rapidly to other places due to some “adhesive chemicals” kept there.
Initial investigation identified short circuit as the cause of fire, while a post-mortem examination revealed cardio-respiratory failure, secondary to asphyxia, caused by inhalation of smoke and soot from the fire led to suffocation and subsequent death.
