Two women die, 10 sustain injuries as fire engulfs Karachi’s Defence apartments

Deceased women include a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, the latter having recently returned from the UK

KARACHI:

At least two women died of suffocation and 10 others including five females fainted and sustained injured when a fire broke out in a workshop, located on the ground floor of an apartment building in Defence Phase-II on Saturday.

According to police and rescue officials, the blaze started in the workshop due to an ‘electric short circuit’ and quickly spread to the first-floor apartment, filling the upper floors with dense smoke.

Panic gripped residents as the flames intensified. Rescue 1122, DHA fire brigades, Edhi and Chhipa ambulances rushed the spot, while Defence police cordoned off the area.

Rescue teams used snorkel to enter the building from the back side and managed to evacuate trapped residents suffering from smoke inhalation. They were shifted to Jinnah Hospital where two women, identified as 70-year-old Syeda Sabiha, wife of Syed Ikhlaq Ali, and her 43-year-old daughter-in-law Syeda Shahzeen Afzal, wife of Syed Afzal Ali died during the treatment.

According to Jinnah Hospital’s Emergency Department in-charge Dr Nausheen Zai, the injured have been identified as Zaheera,24; Rafiah, 20; Abiya, 23; Shahzi, 17; Gudiya, 20; Moez, 24; Hamza, 22; Rehan, 14; Afaq, 50; and Afzal, 45.

Chief Fire Officer Humayun Khan said the fire was reported at around 7pm, after which fire tenders and a snorkel were dispatched immediately. Firefighters battled the blaze for over an hour and a half, managing to prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings. A car parked at the workshop was gutted.

He stressed that such commercial setups should not be allowed on the ground floors of residential buildings due to safety risks.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed deep sorrow over the incident, extended condolence to the bereaved family, and directed the commissioner to ensure immediate medical care for the injured and provide all possible assistance to the affected families.

He also ordered an immediate inquiry into the fire and directed authorities to strengthen fire safety measures in residential buildings.