Pakistan: 112 killed in fire at garment factory in Karachi

Karachi: Nearly 112 people were killed and many others were injured in a fire in a three-storey garment factory in Pakistan's financial hub Karachi on Tuesday evening. The fire broke out on the second floor of the building in the Baldia town area of the city on Tuesday evening.

Around 35 fire tenders with dozens of firefighters were still trying to control the blaze. "The fire has been brought under control to a large extent but there are more people trapped inside the building right now particularly in the basement and we fear the building might also collapse eventually due to the damage caused by the fire," chief fire officer Ehtishamuddin said.

The officer said the dead also included women and the toll was likely to rise. "The casualties have occurred mainly because there was one entry and exit point in the building. We had to use a snorkel to rescue people who had taken refuge on the roof of the building," he added.

The chief fire officer said the blaze could have been caused due to short circuit and rainfall but nothing can be confirmed.

The chief fire officer said there were bodies lying inside the building which were being recovered but rescue operations were taking time due to blaze and heat.

He said the fire appeared to have been caused by short circuit due to the heavy rainfall but the real reason would only been known once the fire was brought under control.

Senior police officer Aamir Farooqi said there is still lot of fire and smoke inside the building so it was unclear how many workers are still trapped inside the building.

(With additional information from PTI)

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