236 dead in Karachi garment factory fire

[third eye]

Karachi Inferno: Factory cleared after 41 hours

Karachi Inferno: Factory cleared after 41 hours | The Nation

The factory building, which was gutted in a massive blaze that claimed 289 lives, was cleared Thursday morning after 41 hours of rescue work, officials said.

Chief fire officer Ehtishamud Din said the operation continued all night long and after drainage machines pumped water out of the basement the building is now cleared after 41 hours.

Talking to media, he said the upper three floors had already been cleared but problems were faced clearing the basement as it was filled with water and had became extremely hot as a result of continued 18-hour fire.

The fire officer Ehtisham asserted there is no more dead body left at the factory now.

Earlier at night, the second floor of the gutted garment factory caught fire again; however, the fire-tenders brought it under control.

On Thursday morning, affected families staged protest demonstration as the heavy machinery could not be transported to the blaze site, which delayed the relief work at the basement of the factory.

The affected people warned they will themselves drain out the accumulated water after breaking the wall of the factory, if the administration continues to display disregard over the tragedy of so immense proportions.

As many as 217 bodies were kept at Edhi Center; of them, 107 have been delivered to the bereaved families after identification process.

Eight bodies will be dispatched to different areas of Punjab including Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan.

Edhi Center Sohrab Goth’s official said the bodies being shifted to Punjab cities will be given free-of-cost service.

The loss of lives of 289 innocent people in a factory conflagration has saddened the atmosphere of the metropolis.

Announcing three-day mourning, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has called off all organizational and political activities in grief over the incident that claimed 289 lives.

Chief Justice (CJ) of Pakistan and Judges of the Supreme Court offered condolence and prayed for the departed souls of workers who got killed in the factory fire at Karachi and Lahore.

Chief Justice and Judges assembled Thursday before the start of proceedings of their respective Benches and offered Fateha for the workers of the tragic incidents who were caught in a deadly fire and perished. May Allah Almighty bless their souls and provide strength to their families to bear this irreparable loss.

 

[skyknight]

RIP....
The factory owner should be sentenced

 

[Riteon]

the pursuit of cheap production !!!

 

[Pfpilot]

So many people die in all of South Asia from easily preventable causes that it makes one question the mindset and sanity of those in charge. Preventing over 300 deaths in a fire is not some impossible logistical nightmare. If even the basics of fire safety were present, we would have not had scores of innocent people, who were only trying to make a living, die because of the negligence of their owners. The sad part is, the incremental costs of installing better safety procedures are financially viable for buildings large enough to house hundreds of people. In the end, had the owner of this complex gone through the trouble of putting in place the correct procedures, his employees and building would be have suffered minimal damage; in his haste to save a buck, he may have lost several times that amount.

It is this short term thinking that is the disease of Pakistan; it has resulted in one more mess to add to our ever growing list of catastrophes that did not need to happen and would not have happened if not for criminal negligence. I hate to pile it on the authorities, because contrary to the general opinion, there is only so much a government can do. But what differentiates the West and Pakistan, is not the people, for the public is prone to narrow mindedness due to their relatively miniscule position in a nation, but it is the strict enforcement of rules and regulations that prevent business owners from putting lives in danger. If we are to prevent these horrific events in the future, then the cost of installing the correct fire prevention systems need to be lower than the costs of overlooking them. In the end, most business owners will try to maximize profits at all costs; it is the job of the government to make sure they don't do so at the expense of their own employees.

 

[angeldust]

Terrible terrible tragedy. The number is staggering.

May God bless the souls of all the victims and give them relief from this ghastly untimely end.

 

[VCheng]

So many people die in all of South Asia from easily preventable causes that it makes one question the mindset and sanity of those in charge. Preventing over 300 deaths in a fire is not some impossible logistical nightmare. If even the basics of fire safety were present, we would have not had scores of innocent people, who were only trying to make a living, die because of the negligence of their owners. The sad part is, the incremental costs of installing better safety procedures are financially viable for buildings large enough to house hundreds of people. In the end, had the owner of this complex gone through the trouble of putting in place the correct procedures, his employees and building would be have suffered minimal damage; in his haste to save a buck, he may have lost several times that amount.

It is this short term thinking that is the disease of Pakistan; it has resulted in one more mess to add to our ever growing list of catastrophes that did not need to happen and would not have happened if not for criminal negligence. I hate to pile it on the authorities, because contrary to the general opinion, there is only so much a government can do. But what differentiates the West and Pakistan, is not the people, for the public is prone to narrow mindedness due to their relatively miniscule position in a nation, but it is the strict enforcement of rules and regulations that prevent business owners from putting lives in danger. If we are to prevent these horrific events in the future, then the cost of installing the correct fire prevention systems need to be lower than the costs of overlooking them. In the end, most business owners will try to maximize profits at all costs; it is the job of the government to make sure they don't do so at the expense of their own employees.

It is simple: Safety costs money. How safe do you want to be?

 

[()()]

we will blame everyone else except ourselves
most likely the negligence and failure to comply with health and safety procedures is to be blamed

even if there is a suggestion of a sabotage then the lack of fire exit and ignoring potential fire hazards cant be ignored

there are some deadly fires in recent history BBC gives the list of the few

World's worst workplace fires

September 2012: At least 38 killed in a fire at a fireworks factory in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
December 2011: Ninety people killed in a hospital fire in the Indian city of Calcutta
June 2010: More than 116 people killed in a fire which destroys shops and housing in Bangladesh
August 2004: A fire in a supermarket in Paraguay kills at least 364 people
December 2001: At least 280 people die in a fire in a shopping area of the Peruvian capital Lima
November 1993: More than 80 workers killed in a fire in a toy factory in southern China
May 1993: At least 188 people are killed in a fire at a Thai toy factory
March 1911: Fire in New York textile factory kills 146


blaming the powerless government officials is pointless, even if a steadfast and honest inspector refuses to take bribe and doesnt sign off the inspection, he will be replaced and someone else can be easily convinced to comply.

cost cuttings always results in human tragedy and bigger material losses. while this tragic memory will be vivid there will be some cosmetic measures in the shape of "orders" but wont be followed up. something very familiar in third word countries, we are a third word country for a reason and the biggest one is corruption and bypassing laws to save some coins.

let me make a guess, if the factory is privately owned then the owner will do a runner until another tragedy washes away the memory from this one.

there is no chance of learning from mistake and mishap here. Karachi burnt earlier too when blocks of shops were scorched to earth due to uncontrollable fire.

for the time being most of us will pick our usual targets to blame.. you know them all



you hope too much, did anything come up when the Karachi commercial sector burnt not long ago?

The administration, labor commissioner should be held responsible before the factory owner. How the hell they were not stopped from operating a infrastructure as a factory with 400 workers locked and no safety rules/regulations followed? Where is the enforcement?

At work, I read the news and felt like crying.
There is a difference between Sivakasi, kolkata and Karachi fire incident.
IN Savakasi It was a firecracker factory, fire was spontaneous and they couldn't get any chance to escape.( Though many safety norms were not followed)
In kolkata hospital fire, safety systems were installed but the doctors and attendants used to turn off smoke alarm because they used to smoke in the hospital. The smoke/gases of the fire spread through the central AC system and most of them died due to suffocation.

In Karachi fire, the workers were calling their family members, friends and others for help. They made no. of phone calls, but they couldn't escape as there was no exits and metal grills was there.
They died a slow and painful death. I can imagine that and I think of their family members.
All this because some law enforcement officer tried to earn more money by allowing such factories to operate. The factory owner is less responsible than the law enforcement officer.
No one can be competitive in business by following all the rules (which increases costs) if the competitors are not following rules and saving money. Laws and regulations should be enforced, this is the only solution.

 

[Sher Malang]

This is a very very sad incident may Allah rest their souls in peace. Ameen!

 

[Pfpilot]

It is simple: Safety costs money. How safe do you want to be?

You are right of course. I feel, more strict restrictions and regulations, that are actually enforced through fines and prosecution, will make it even costlier to not abide by those rules. At the same time, I am not asking for a high tech sprinkler system, but even the basics would be a great improvement. In case of fire, having a plan to exit in an organized manner can make the greatest of difference; having a secondary emergency exit would help further. Fire extinguishers can be used in a preventative role, limiting small fires from turning into all consuming infernos. If small expenditures are made to allow for a situation where such a catastrophe takes place and prepare people for what they should do under the circumstances, the casualties can be reduced significantly. This is my amateur opinion; if I am not wrong, you have an engineering background and can shed greater light on what is required and what is possible.

 

[VCheng]

You are right of course. I feel, more strict restrictions and regulations, that are actually enforced through fines and prosecution, will make it even costlier to not abide by those rules. At the same time, I am not asking for a high tech sprinkler system, but even the basics would be a great improvement. In case of fire, having a plan to exit in an organized manner can make the greatest of difference; having a secondary emergency exit would help further. Fire extinguishers can be used in a preventative role, limiting small fires from turning into all consuming infernos. If small expenditures are made to allow for a situation where such a catastrophe takes place and prepare people for what they should do under the circumstances, the casualties can be reduced significantly. This is my amateur opinion; if I am not wrong, you have an engineering background and can shed greater light on what is required and what is possible.

I can opine a bit more, but are there not reports that the real issue was one of bhatta? The argument over the amount sowed the seeds for this tragedy, reportedly, but I am not sure about its accuracy.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

You are right of course. I feel, more strict restrictions and regulations, that are actually enforced through fines and prosecution, will make it even costlier to not abide by those rules. At the same time, I am not asking for a high tech sprinkler system, but even the basics would be a great improvement. In case of fire, having a plan to exit in an organized manner can make the greatest of difference; having a secondary emergency exit would help further. Fire extinguishers can be used in a preventative role, limiting small fires from turning into all consuming infernos. If small expenditures are made to allow for a situation where such a catastrophe takes place and prepare people for what they should do under the circumstances, the casualties can be reduced significantly. This is my amateur opinion; if I am not wrong, you have an engineering background and can shed greater light on what is required and what is possible.

It does NOT cost too much money to set up basic yet effective safety systems. How much would it cost to have more escape routes/means of egress? Basic ladder escapes? Or for that matter, basic fire extinguishing media like portable fire extinguishers?
Even a simple sprinkler system, manually operated by opening a 'stop-valve' and fed by an overhead gravity tank can work well, how much would it cost? Even in Pakistan?
I am familiar with Fire Fighting Appliances from the very basic to the advanced and simply refuse to believe any excuse about costs!!!

It is not about cost at all; it is all about attitudes- towards safety and the value of human life!!!

For instance in the incident being talked about, the owner(s) would have needed to have more escape routes. For which he would have had to lose working/storage space. Was he ready to do that? I simply guess not. As I've said in an earlier post, sometimes even exits are blocked by raw material/finished goods. And worst of all, the exits are even kept locked so that a worker may not bunk-off from work. Even house-keeping (simple as it is) can minimise such tragedies.

But does any body care?

 

[indushek]

Really feeling sad hearing this. RIP for the victims and may god give strength to their dear ones.

Can somebody from Pakistan confirm if the government could announce some exgratia to the victims of this horrific accident. I mean it is not going to bring back the dead but can help the victims families considering the fact that they are all poor workers.

In India some time it is announced so what about there?? can the politicians atleast for point scoring help the victims??

It does NOT cost too much money to set up basic yet effective safety systems. How much would it cost to have more escape routes/means of egress? Basic ladder escapes? Or for that matter, basic fire extinguishing media like portable fire extinguishers?
Even a simple sprinkler system, manually operated by opening a 'stop-valve' and fed by an overhead gravity tank can work well, how much would it cost? Even in Pakistan?
I am familiar with Fire Fighting Appliances from the very basic to the advanced and simply refuse to believe any excuse about costs!!!

It is not about cost at all; it is all about attitudes- towards safety and the value of human life!!!

For instance in the incident being talked about, the owner(s) would have needed to have more escape routes. For which he would have had to lose working/storage space. Was he ready to do that? I simply guess not. As I've said in an earlier post, sometimes even exits are blocked by raw material/finished goods. And worst of all, the exits are even kept locked so that a worker may not bunk-off from work. Even house-keeping (simple as it is) can minimise such tragedies.

But does any body care?

Captain what constitutes this chalta hai attitude among us south east asians is this a side effect of 300 years of foreign rule or our dna?? never could figure it out.

 

[Jango]

There were dire exits, according to a survivor of the blaze (who jumped from the top floor, and broke his pelvis and arm). But they mysteriously were locked at that time, although they are never locked when the factory being worked in.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Really feeling sad hearing this. RIP for the victims and may god give strength to their dear ones.

Can somebody from Pakistan confirm if the government could announce some exgratia to the victims of this horrific accident. I mean it is not going to bring back the dead but can help the victims families considering the fact that they are all poor workers.

In India some time it is announced so what about there?? can the politicians atleast for point scoring help the victims??



Captain what constitutes this chalta hai attitude among us south east asians is this a side effect of 300 years of foreign rule or our dna?? never could figure it out.

@ Baba Indushek'
Now you have asked me a difficult question!!
I have always thought that this is because of a "low premium" attached to human life.
But where does that arise out of?
I will postulate that this arises out of a meta-physical belief of the "eventuality of Life and Death". Just my thought on this matter. And this seems to be more easily prevalent in the Oriental ways of life than the Occidental ones.

 

[TheJewverine]

There were dire exits, according to a survivor of the blaze (who jumped from the top floor, and broke his pelvis and arm). But they mysteriously were locked at that time, although they are never locked when the factory being worked in.

From what I've heard the doors were locked in order to stop the workers from leaving without the owners consent. Very similar to this story of what happened in the US back in 1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very sad the things people will do to others for money...