Police await families’ go-ahead to register FIR

Three labourers died after falling into chemical tank on Saturday night

KARACHI: The bodies of the three labourers, two of whom were brothers, who lost their lives while working at a factory in Korangi on Saturday, were sent to their hometown for burial on Sunday.

The labourers died after falling into the chemical tank of a fish processing unit in Korangi neighbourhood, within the limits of the Zaman Town police station, on Saturday night. The victims were later identified as 30-year-old Bahadur, 40-year-old Bahadurullah and 35-year-old Bale Ji. Rescuers from different welfare organisations immediately reached the site and initiated rescue work, but the victims perished shortly after falling into the tank. Their bodies were shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities and later handed over to their families.

"Two of them were brothers," said their colleague Imran Ali. "At first Bahadur slipped into the chemical tank and the others fell in while trying to rescue him."



There were reports that claimed two more labourers fell into the tank, however, officials denied such news, saying that only three labourers had fallen and died. Some labourers claimed that the victims died after falling into the tank when their ladder snapped. "They were working there and suddenly the ladder slipped and one of them fell into the tank," said a labourer at the factory.

The victims belonged to Gilgit and had been working at the factory for the past year. Bahadur and Bale Ji were brothers, while Bahadurullah was their relative. Their bodies were dispatched to their hometown for burial.

The police have yet to register a case over the incident, as officials say they are working to locate the victims’ families to register the case. Zaman Town SHO Malik Ashfaq confirmed that no case has been registered. "The families of the victims said they will approach us after discussing the matter within the family after the burial,” he explained.



This is not the first time labourers in Karachi have lost their lives by falling into chemical tanks at factories. In a similar incident in July, four labourers died while another was rescued when they fell unconscious while cleaning a tank in a factory located on the outskirts of the city in Bin Qasim Town. The labourers died after inhaling chemical fumes inside the tank of the under-construction chemical factory near Ghaggar Phatak.

Last year, at least five people died at a factory in Korangi, indicating a gross violation of safety measures and Sindh’s social security rules.

National Trade Union Federation Information Secretary Mushtaq Ali Shan expressed grief over the deaths and said that the authorities concerned should take notice of such incidents, as a number of labourers have lost their lives in similar incidents in the past. He said that there are labour laws but there is no implementation in our country.

To avoid such incidents, the authorities concerned should implement the labour laws and carry out inspections, he suggested. "Around 90% of the factories in Karachi do not give appointment letters to their labourers to avoid appointing them on a permanent basis. The labourers should be appointed on permanent basis so that they can establish labour unions to raise their voices for labourers’ rights," he said. "Until the establishment of union bodies at these factories, implementation of labour laws will remain a dream."