Karachi factory fire: Death toll rises to 289

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KARACHI: The death toll in the garment factory fire in Baldia Town has risen to 289, raising fresh concerns about workplace safety, officials said Wednesday. Commissioner Karachi, Roshan Ali Skeikh while speaking to Geo News said the condition of the factory had deteriorated to such a point that it could collapse at any moment. Roshan added that the investigation report of the incident would be completed in three days. According to provincial health minister Dr. Sagheer Ahmed, 80 bodies were taken to Civil Hospital, 95 to Abbasi Hospital and 71 were taken to Jinnah Hospital. Abdus Salam, a doctor at Karachi's Civil Hospital, said 10 women garment makers were among the dead. "The bodies are badly charred. At least 65 other workers suffered broken bones after jumping out of windows to escape the flames," Salam added.

سانحہ بلدیہ ٹاوٴن، ایم کیو ایم رہنماوٴں کا ایک ماہ کی تنخواہ کا عطیہ

کراچی… سانحہ بلدیہ ٹاوٴن کے جاں بحق افراد کے لواحقین کی امداد کیلئے ایم کیو ایم کے سینیٹ ،قومی اورصوبائی اسمبلی کے نمائندوں نے اپنی ایک ماہ کی تنخواہ عطیہ کرنے کا اعلان کیا ہے۔ ایم کیوایم کے اعلامیہ کے مطابق ملک کے تینوں ایوانوں میں موجودحق پرست ارکان سینیٹ ، قومی اورصوبائی اسمبلی کے مشترکہ اجلاس میں سانحہ کراچی بلدیہ ٹاوٴن میں محنت کشوں کی المناک ہلاکتوں پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کااظہارکرتے ہوئے اسے قومی سانحہ قراردیاگیااورغم زدہ خاندانوں سے دلی ہمدردی کا اظہارکیا گیا۔اس موقع پر حق پرست عوامی نمائندوں نے انفرادی طور پرسانحہ بلدیہ ٹاوٴن کراچی میں جاں بحق ہونے والے افراد کے لواحقین کی امداد کیلئے اپنی ایک ماہ کی تنخواہ عطیہ کرنے کا اعلان کیا۔ اجلاس میں سانحہ بلدیہ ٹاوٴن کراچی کے المناک سانحہ میں جاں بحق افرادکی مغفرت،ان کے درجات کی بلندی ،سوگواران کے صبرجمیل اور زخمی ہونے والے افراد کی صحت یابی کیلئے دعا بھی کی گئی ۔

موت کی فیکٹریاں - مظہر برلاس

Moot Ki Fecteryan

Khi Fire: Factory owners shifted to unknown location

KARACHI: After appearing in a police station here the proprietors of the 'holocaust factory', which became a homicidal gas chamber for hundreds of workers, have went underground in the tightest of state securities, Geo News reported.
Earlier, the owners of the factory Abdul Aziz Bhaila, Arshad Bhaila, and Shahid Bhaila showed up in SITE-B Police Station to have their statements recorded, which they could not as the officer concerned was out of his office.
A new development in the case is a letter written to State Bank of Pakistan to freeze the accounts of the accused factory owners.
According to SP Investigation West, Saqib Sultan, the accused have been shifted to an unknown location to ensure no untoward incidents came in the way of justice.
Sultan added that standard investigation procedure would be employed in the case of factory owners who face murder charges under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
He said police had SBP moved to jam the bank accounts of the accused to halt a probable transaction of Rs500 million in its tracks.
While talking to the media in SITE-B Police Station, Shahid Bhaila said that they were ready to appear before any investigating authority and vowed to cooperate in the investigation.
Replying to a question, he denied the presence of any inflammable chemical in the factory saying it was a washing unit not a dyeing one.

Police has also conducted raids and arrested more than ten workers including security guard for investigation.
SSP West Amir Farooqui told Geo News that police are investigating them that who ordered for closure of doors of the factory.

Meanwhile, the CCTV video of the factory tragedy has been released which shows that the fire started on the first floor at 6:56PM in the factory’s cutting department and afterwards workers started to run.

The CCTV video from outside the factory has not been decoded yet.

Earlier, the Sindh High Court Larkana Bench had granted them Rs.500,000 each protective bail for eight days (till 21 September).

Arshad Bhaila had claimed the fire first broke out in the warehouse and he himself called the fire brigade, which arrived about an hour and a half late.

Arshad disclosed that, on that tragic day, he and his brother Shahid stayed out in the burning factory till midnight. He said that they got themselves bailed to share the grief of their deceased workers’ families.

Arshad vowed to compensate for the victims according to industry and labour laws.