ISLAMABAD – At least four firefighters were killed and over a dozen others wounded when a building collapsed after it caught a massive fire in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, reported Anadolu Agency, quoting the provincial governor today.
According to officials, the fire erupted in a bedsheet cloth factory yesterday morning, which spread and engulfed the entire building.
Local authorities immediately launched an operation to control the blaze. However, it continued until midnight.
“The operation to control the fire continued until about 2am (5am Malaysian time) today when the fire was controlled, and then the cooling work started. It was a four-story building and because of some (undetermined) reasons, the building collapsed,” local daily Dawn quoted District Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem as saying.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also visited the site late at night and said four firefighters lost their lives, while another 14 were wounded and shifted to local hospitals.
Pakistan has had a history of industrial accidents due to poor infrastructure and a lack of safety standards. Many factories are operating in residential areas. – Bernama, April 13, 2023
