Gadani ship-breaking yard fire: Death toll rises to 16
Death toll from Gadani ship-breaking yard fire on Tuesday has surged to 16.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – The death toll from fire at the Gadani ship-breaking yard fire rose to 16 and two more bodies of the labourers were recovered on late Tuesday night, Dunya News reported.
At least 66 people also received burn injuries as an oil tanker caught fire during gas welding work at the Gadani ship-breaking yard in Balochistan, about 50 kilometres northwest of Karachi.. Eye-witnesses said that the fire caused a series of blast at the oil tanker.
Deputy Commission Lasbela, Zulfiqar Shah, said that the fire started due to negligence during gas welding work at the oil tanker.
More than 50 people are still missing, feared to be trapped inside the oil tanker which is still on fire and there was not enough equipment to extinguish it.
The dead and injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Hub, Lasbela and Burns Centre Karachi. According to Faisal Edhi, the rescue work was halted due to darkness. He further informed that nine of the victims brought to Burns Centre Karachi were in critical condition.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed deep grief over the incident and directed the concerned authorities to speed up rescue operation.
Gadani ship-breaking yard is the world‘s third largest ship breaking yard. The yard consists of 132 ship-breaking plots located across a 10 km long beachfront at Gadani.
