Corporate (ir)responsibility: Workers burned to death in factory laid to rest

The incident was caused by splashing molten metal and combustible gases from rotary tilting furnace, claims report

KARACHI: Four of the six labourers who were burned to death in an autoparts manufacturing factory near Landhi Petrol Manzil on Wednesday, were laid to rest at local graveyards. The bodies of two other victims have been handed over to their families.

The funeral prayers for 30-year-old Muhammad Saleem, son of Babu, were held on Thursday morning at the main road near Quaidabad after which he was buried at Zafar Town cemetery. The funeral prayers for 40-year-old Inayat, son of Muhammad Ramzan, and 30-year-old Muhammad Imran, son of Sufyan, were held at Khokhrapar and they were also laid to rest at a local cemetery.

The funeral prayers of Muhammad Saleem, son of Shabbir, was held after Zuhr prayers at Masjid-e-Tayyaba in Malir after which he was buried at a local graveyard. The body of 25-year-old Muhammad Amir, son of Sufi Muhammad, has been taken to Muzaffarabad for burial. The body of the sixth victim, 46-year-old Muhammad Shadman, son of Moeeuddin, was handed over to his family on Wednesday evening.

Faheem, aged 30, who received 10% burns, is still under treatment at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Burns Ward.

Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur said that the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry of the incident. He added that Karachi commissioner has formed a team to investigate the incident which will share their findings with the police.

The police is also carrying out its own investigation. He said that action would be taken against anyone found guilty.

The incident

Earlier, it was reported that a boiler had exploded in the factory, but a preliminarily inspection report of the accident refuted the claim.

The report, released by the Sindh Government Boilers Industries Department Chief Inspector, stated that a team of boiler inspectors of industries department visited the site on November 14. The report said that molten metal and combustible gases from rotary tilting furnace splashed out accidently around the furnace and burned the workers and equipment nearby. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2018.