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By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 19 (APD) At least 14 people were killed and over 400 hundred others got affected after toxic gas leakage in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, officials said Wednesday morning.
District Health Officer Zafar Mehdi told media that 14 people have died since Sunday evening after unknown poisonous gas started leaking from Railway Colony in Kemari town near the port area of Karachi, the provincial capital of southern Sindh province.
According to the official, so far over 400 affected people were brought to five different hospitals where over 100 are still under treatment, including over 10 in critical condition. All the major hospitals in the city are on high alert to deal with any further severe situation.
Hospital officials said that the affected people are facing suffocation, respiratory issues, stomachache, burning sensation in eyes. chest tightness and dizziness due to the gas that spread quickly due to strong wind.
Soon after the incident, the police and security forces were deployed to cordon off the area and evacuate the residents and workers.
Hundreds of households in the affected area have evacuated and moved to residences of their relatives or some special temporary places arranged by the local authorities while the education institutes have also been closed until further notice.
The authorities have failed to find out the source of the gas leakage. However, there doubt that the gas is being leaked from containers stored at a warehouse near the port, but there is no official confirmation about it yet.
Chemical and nuclear specialists from the armed forces arrived at the locality on Tuesday amid the area residents started to protest against administrative negligence.
Sample of over a dozen affected persons have been sent to a laboratory for test and their report is likely to come on late Wednesday, officials said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed sorrow and deep concern over the death in the incident and directed the authorities to secure the residence besides solving the issue of the leakage.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
