KARACHI: Six people died after inhaling toxic gases emitting from an underground tank containing a chemical substance being used in making pickle in a food factory set up in a residential area of Korangi on Sunday, police and hospital officials said.

The owner of the factory was among the dead and the remaining five were workers, two of them father and son, the police added.

The incident occurred when one of the labourers while drawing some ‘water’ from the underground tank passed out after inhaling the substance in it and fell into the tank, said Korangi Industrial Area SHO Mohammed Ashiq.

“It is an ‘accident’, but if anyone approaches the police to lodge an FIR, the police will look into it”

The five others went after him to save him but they all fell unconscious and slipped into the tank and died after consuming the poisonous chemical.

The factory was located in the residential area of Dar-ul-Salam Society and the initial investigation suggested that it was an ‘accident’, but if anyone approached the police to lodge an FIR about it, the police would look into it, the SHO added.

The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities.

One of the volunteers who helped recover the bodies told Dawn outside the JPMC mortuary that they faced immense difficulties in recovering the bodies as the pungent smell emitting from the tank was overpowering and unbearable.

He added that it was a single-storey building spread over around 600 square yards in which the underground tank was built about 20 to 30 feet deep and at the time of the incident it was filled up to six feet with the substance.

“The water was so filthy that no one could stand there,” said a volunteer. They had to use a ladder and ropes to retrieve the bodies, he said.

“All the bodies and the clothes were completely soaked and smelt strongly of chemical,” said police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir.

He added that dirty white frothing was present at their nostrils.

“The deaths occurred due to inhalation of poisonous gaseous material,” said the police surgeon.

Blood samples and clothes of all the dead have been taken and preserved for chemical examinations.

The dead were identified as 52-year-old Mehtab, stated to be the owner of the factory; 26-year-old Sohail; 50-year-old Saleem; 28-year-old Imran; 26-year-old Adnan; and 30-year-old Nawaz.

Speaking to Dawn, Karachi-East DIG Munir Ahmed Shaikh said he had instituted an inquiry committee led by the SSP of investigation, which would submit its report within seven days.

“There are two aspects of the incident,” said the DIG East. “First, there are reports that it is an unauthorised factory. Secondly, chemicals were being used in pickle manufacturing and it needs to be ascertained that what type of ‘precautions’ had been taken in this regard and why such chemicals were being used in a food factory.”

Mr Shaikh said no government institution ever notified to the police that it was an ‘illegal’ factory and action be taken against it.

Meanwhile, several residents told media persons at the spot that Achar Karkhana (the pickle factory) had been working there for the past 10 years and it was known to the police and local administration as well.

Residents claimed that the police used to receive ‘protection money’ from the factory and a police mobile daily arrived there at 6pm and one of the policemen were seen entering it and coming out of the factory.

Korangi district deputy commissioner Asif Jan Siddiqi told the media that it was an ‘illegal’ factory established in a home.

Landhi SP Afnan Amin contended that it was the responsibility of the institutions concerned to take action against the factory set up in a home.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2015

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