ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to conduct a thorough investigation into the blaze that engulfed two villages in the Dadu district of Sindh.
The prime minister, who was presented an initial report on the tragedy, also vowed to take strict against anyone found to have shown negligence in dispensation of the duties.
PM Shehbaz Sharif further ordered a total of Rs10 million to be given to the heirs of the deceased as well as those injured in the incident.
The premier told the district government to extend all possible support for the rehabilitation of the victim families. “The whole nation shares the grief of the families who have lost their dear ones,” he said.
He also instructed the district administration to take solid measures to avert the occurrence of such incidents in the future.
Nine children were burnt to death and more than 20 other men and women suffered severe burns when a fire raged through Faiz Mohammad Daryani Chandio village and reduced all 50 houses to ashes.
Around 150 buffaloes, cows, goats and other animals also perished in the fire. In two other similar incidents of fire within the district, over 60 houses were destroyed and dozens of animals perished.
According to the affected families, the blaze started at around 9pm on Monday and raged through the village, falling within the jurisdiction of the Faridabad police station, over the next 12 hours. No fire tenders reached the village until it subsided at 8am in the morning, the villagers said.
The blaze caused significant losses to all the families living in the village. In addition to the loss of lives and injuries, around 15,000 maunds of wheat, rice and other grain, besides cash, jewellery, furniture, household articles, three tractors and all personal belongings of the families were destroyed.
