adminThe government yesterday ordered an inquiry, and a senior official said that the two brothers who owned the factory have been barred from leaving the country.
“We have registered a murder case against the owners of the factory and several government officials for showing utter negligence to provide adequate security to the factory workers,” said Mohammad Nawaz Gondal, the head of the local police station.
Senior Karachi police officer Naeem Akram confirmed the move.
The case has been filed against Abdul Aziz, Mohammad Arshad and Shahid Bhaila and other members of the management of Ali Enterprises, Gondal said.
Police are hunting for the factory owners, who have not been seen since the blaze.
The government of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, has appointed a retired judge to lead an investigation into the fire, with initial findings expected in a week.
The probe will look into the cause of the fire, protection systems available inside the building and the extent of negligence on the owners’ part, a government statement said.
Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city with a population of 18 million, shut down in mourning yesterday for the deaths.
Workers were suffocated or burnt alive at the Ali Enterprises garment factory in the city, which made ready-to-wear clothing for Western export, when a massive fire tore through the building during the evening shift on Tuesday.
Up to 600 people were working inside at the time, in a building that officials said was in poor condition without emergency exits, forcing dozens to jump from upper storeys to escape the flames, but trapping dozens in the basement where they perished. — AFP.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu