‘We thought an Indian missile hit us’

Labourers at Gadani ship-breaking yard share ordeal

KARACHI: Loud blasts were heard and thick, black clouds of smoke rose into the air. "We thought an Indian missile had hit us," shared Abdul Rab while talking to The Express Tribune at the site of the wreckage.

A number of labourers shared similar narratives after a decommissioned oil tanker stationed at Gadani ship-breaking yard blew open following a fire. The 22,000-ton oil tanker was tugged at plot 56 of the yard for dismantling some 10 days ago. However, Tuesday was the first day to begin the breaking process for which close to 300 labourers had signed up.



Rab recalled how while he was walking towards the area where the ship was tugged, a huge blast occurred with an intensity that threw him a few feet away. "As I regained my balance, I witnessed a black cloud rising into the air with fire glowing under it."

He said that the he saw heavy metal sheets flying in the air and landing some two to three hundred metres away. According to him, those who died and sustained injuries in the blast were comrades either hit by the debris or were in close proximity of the ship. He feared that those working on the ship are still inside.

Saleem Baloch, who works on another plot close by, said, "I picked up beheaded burnt bodies of my colleagues." Over a hundred workers are still inside the ship where rescue workers cannot reach at the moment, he added.

Claiming that it is the worst incident in the history of the yard since its inception, Ship Breaking Mazdoor Union president Bashir Mehmoodani said labourers working here are treated worse than animals.

"Just two days ago on Sunday, workers were protesting at the Karachi Press Club for right to safety and health," he shared. "Unfortunately, they became victims of the deadly incident today. Maybe now someone will take notice."

Mehmoodani demanded that proper investigations be carried out so yard owners can be held accountable for the disaster, "which happened due to their negligence."

Delayed, nominal rescue

As soon as news of the blast reached the Edhi centre at Hub Chowki, ambulances rushed towards the site, which lies 25 to 30 kilometres away, said Saad Edhi.

Rab claimed that Edhi ambulances started to arrive after 10:15am - the blast occurred at around 9:30am - while the fire tenders took one hour to reach the site. Fire tenders of Lasbela District were the first ones to reach, after which those belonging to the Karachi Port Trust were called in.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.