The death toll from an explosion and fire at
the Gadani ship-breaking yard last week has risen to 26, officials said Sunday.
More than 50 others were wounded in the
incident when a gas cylinder exploded and started a fire inside an oil tanker
in the shipyard.
“Six more wounded from the Gadani shipyard
have died, so the new toll is now 26,” Zulfiqar Hashmi, a local government
official, told AFP.
“One person died at home after being
discharged from hospital while five others expired in hospital,” he said.
Muhammad Hashim, commissioner of Kalat region
of which Gadani is a part, confirmed the new toll.
Pakistan has banned all activities at the
ship-breaking yard in Gadani and a probe is underway.
A high-level committee formed by the Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate the causes of the fire held its first
meeting in the port city of Karachi Saturday and said it would finalise a
report within a week.
Industrial accidents are common in Pakistan,
with workplaces often forgoing basic safety measures and equipment in the
absence of legislation to protect labourers.
A devastating fire at a textile factory in
Karachi killed 255 people in 2012.
Source:
dawn. 06 November 2016
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