SUKKUR: Four employees of the Election Commission of Pakistan died in their sleep from inhaling gas which was probably leaking at an election office in Kandhkot district complex early on Wednesday morning.

Sources said the election staff were working late and fell asleep in their chairs where they were found dead by police in the morning.

Police officials and Rescue 1122 shifted the bodies to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination after they were informed of the incident, they said.

According to a press release issued by the ECP, the dead were identified as election officer Mushtaq Ahmed Magsi, 50; data entry operators Ghulam Fareed, 32, and Majid Hussain Khaldi, 40, and an office assistant aged 25.

After preliminary investigation, the police said it appeared that the victims had tightly closed all the doors and windows of the office to save themselves from severe cold and dense fog and left no opening for ventilation. They died most probably from the gas leakage in the office room, they said.

They said that they had started investigation into the incident but they would have to wait for the final report of post-mortem examination to determine the actual cause of the deaths.

The post-mortem reports would be released within a week, said Deputy Commissioner Amir Owais.

Sources said that autopsies had been conducted on three bodies while relatives of the fourth victim did not allow doctors to conduct medico-legal formalities.

The bodies were handed over to the heirs after completion of medico-legal procedures, they said.

The ECP press release said that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and members of the commission had expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic death of four colleagues and ordered inquiry into the incident. Provincial Election Commissioner of Sindh Sharifullah also expressed grief over the incident.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2024