PICS: 314 killed in massive factory fires in Pak

At least 314 people, including women and children, have been killed in a pair of devastating fires that engulfed a garment factory in Karachi and a shoe unit in Lahore in one of the worst industrial mishaps in Pakistan.

The fire in the multi-storey garment factory in Baldia Town area of Karachi broke out at 6 pm local time on Tuesday leaving 314 people dead, hours after a blaze at a shoe factory in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, claimed 25 lives, officials said on Wednesday.

Rescue workers had pulled out 166 bodies from the Karachi factory until Wednesday afternoon and the toll could rise as several areas of the multi-storey building are yet to be cleared, Karachi Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh told reporters.

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The Jinnah Hospital alone had received 88 bodies, Shaikh said. "Some more people could be trapped in cabins and the basement, which are yet to be cleared. Rescue workers are proceeding carefully as huge cracks have appeared in the building, which could collapse at any time," he said.

Sagheer Ahmed, health minister of Sindh province, said 31 people were injured in the Karachi fire. Women and children were among the dead and injured.

Only about 55 bodies had been identified so far as many of them were badly charred, officials said. When the fire engulfed the second and third floors of the factory in Karachi yesterday, several workers jumped out of windows in desperation. Others used the lights of their mobile phones to signal their location to fire fighters.

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Special ladders were used to bring down people who gathered on the roof. Fire fighters said they could not enter the factory for several hours because of the intensity of the blaze. They called in additional fire fighters and special squads from the navy.

At least 40 fire tenders were used to put out the flames. Karachi's Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui said the factory could collapse at any time as it had been weakened by the fire.

Footage on television showed huge cracks all over the building. Siddiqui said most of the deaths were caused by suffocation.

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All the exits of the factory were closed, he said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained though witnesses said it began near a generator that was close to the factory's main entrance.

Around 2,000 people were employed at the 2,000 square-yard factory. Officials said the factory's management had violated building and safety regulations. Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, Industries Minister of Sindh, asked authorities to submit a report on the incident by Thursday.

A large number of people gathered outside the factory overnight to search for relatives who were inside. Many wept and offered prayers for the safety of their loved ones.

Fire department officials said they had managed to control the fire in most parts of the factory and efforts were now focussed on bringing out bodies and survivors. Sindh Governor Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan announced a day of mourning in Karachi on Wednesday.

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