Shah Alam Market: Two more bodies pulled from debris

LAHORE: Two bodies were dug out of the smouldering remains of Bahria Plaza on Monday, taking the death toll from the Shah Alam Market fire to seven.

One person, identified as Muhammad Zaheer, remains missing, said Rescue 1122 director general Rizwan Naseer.

The fire started in Bahria Plaza late on February 6. Rescue 1122 officials say it built up slowly until oxygen began flowing in through broken windows, causing a massive explosion that resulted in the collapse of the building. It took several days to control the fire, after which workers could start looking for bodies.

Naseer said that 250 Solid Waste Management workers were helping Rescue 1122. The fire fight also involved 32 vehicles of Rescue 1122 and the Water and Sanitation Agency. He said that the government had hired a contractor to clear the debris and he was at the site with 80 workers.

He said that army and University of Engineering Technology engineers had added support structures to dilapidated buildings near the market as there was a risk that they could collapse and kill rescue workers.

He said that it would not be easy for the government to decide what to do with Qadri Plaza, as it supported two other buildings at the back. “Because of its complex structure demolition is not a simple decision,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2011.