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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Pakistani factory fires claim 283

By: Adil Jawad and Sebastian Abbot

Posted: 09/13/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Fires swept through two clothing factories in Pakistan, leaving 283 people dead -- many trapped behind locked doors and barred windows -- highlighting the atrocious working conditions in a country where workplaces often lack basic safety equipment and owners bribe officials to ignore the violations.

The twin blazes broke out Tuesday night at a garment factory in the southern port city of Karachi and a shoe manufacturer in the eastern city of Lahore. At least 258 people died in the fire in Karachi, where rescue workers were still searching Wednesday for bodies in the charred building. Another 25 perished in Lahore.

The panicked workers in Karachi had only one way out since the factory's owner had locked all the other exit doors in response to a recent theft, officials said. Many victims suffocated in the smoke-filled basement.

"The owner of the factory should also be burned to death the way our dear ones have died in a miserable condition," said Nizam-ud-Din, whose nephew was killed in the fire, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Pakistani history.

Police were searching for the factory's managers and placed the owner on a list of people who are not allowed to leave the country, said Roshan Ali Sheikh, a top government official in Karachi.

"It is a criminal act to lock the emergency exit doors, and we are trying to know who did it and why," Sheikh said.

The fire started when a boiler exploded and the flames ignited chemicals that were stored in the factory, which manufactured jeans and other clothes for export. Between 300 and 400 workers were inside when the blaze erupted.

Those on the upper floors of the five-storey building had to break through metal bars covering the windows so they could leap to safety. Dozens were injured doing so, including a 27-year-old pregnant woman.

The fire that swept through the four-story shoe factory in Lahore left 25 people dead.

The fire broke out as workers were trying to start a generator after electricity went out in the building. Sparks from the generator made contact with chemicals used to make shoes, igniting the blaze, which blocked the only exit.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 13, 2012 A8

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