Owner booked for deadly building collapse
The police on Tuesday registered a case on charges of accidental homicide against the owner of a building that collapsed after a deadly blast in LPG decanting shop on its ground floor in Machhar Colony. Meanwhile, the bodies of two victims, including a young girl, have been handed over to their heirs for burial.
Three people were killed and more than a dozen injured when an explosion in the LPG shop brought the entire building down in Jaffar Chowk within the remits of Docks police station. Police registered a case against Noor Islam Haqqani, the owner of the building, under Section 322 of PPC.
According to the FIR, Abdul Wahab, son of Israel, Mohammad Zada, son of Wahid, and Ulfat Bibi, daughter of Abdul Amin, lost their lives, while 17 others sustained injuries in the blast caused by gas leakage in the LPG shop, leading to the collapse of the building.
Read At least three people killed in Karachi Machhar Colony building collapse
The FIR alleges that Haqqani had rented out the shop to Abdul Wahab without proper permits or rent certificates. Wahab and his employee Wahid were reportedly supplying gas illegally in the residential area, and the incident occurred due to their negligence. Therefore, legal action is being sought against Haqqani for allowing a gas cylinder shop in a residential area without proper authorisation. Meanwhile, the bodies of Muhammad Zada and Ulfat Bibi have been received by their families from the Chhipa mortuary.
Abdul Kareem, the uncle of Ulfat, revealed that his four-year-old niece lived in the victim's house with her parents. After the explosion, Ulfat's body was found buried under the debris. The parents of the deceased and siblings are currently undergoing treatment.
The heirs of Mohammad Zada informed that he had recently come from Battagram and was learning gas work. Mohammad Zada's father is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital, and arrangements are being made for his burial in Battagram.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2023.