Rescue workers on Friday found the charred body of a man on the eighth floor of the 14-storey building that caught fire on Thursday morning.
The man was identified as Ghulam Fareed, a 40-year-old native of Attock. Officials were not clear as to what Fareed was doing on the eighth floor as he was deputed in the UBL office on the 14th floor. His body was taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and later handed over to his brother. Fareed leaves behind him a wife and three children.
Amjad, in charge of the administration at the United Bank Limited (UBL), told PPI that Fareed had been working with them as a helper for the past six years. He said the bank will take care of Fareed’s family and will bear his children’s educational expenses.
Police quoted a witness as saying he had heard “a man cry out for help” when he was trying to put out the fire. They believe Fareed had come down to help with the fire and lost consciousness when something hit him on the head, as indicated by the post-mortem report.
All clear
Earlier on Thursday, after putting out the fire, the CDA’s Fire and Rescue Directorate carried a technical search and cleared the building, declaring there were no casualties.
However, a subsequent sweep of the building undertaken by CDA Urban Search and Rescue canine component on Friday found Fareed’s body. Khalil Ahmed, member of the search team, said the body was trapped under an “air-conditioned plant and steel rods of the collapsed floor”. The body was discovered 24 hours after the fire broke out, he added.
Members of the rescue team blamed the UBL administration for failing to inform them that one of their employees was in the building. Zulfiqar Ali, in-charge of the fire prevention unit, said, “We were helpless when UBL administration refused to cooperate with us.”
After discovery of Fareed’s body, rescue officials decided to resume the operation that they had called off late on Thursday afternoon.
Ali said they were examining the building as they could be more people buried in the rubble.
Just days before the incident, CDA’s Fire Prevention and Life Safety Unit had surveyed the building and submitted a list of recommendations to the building administration to ensure life safety, CDA officials said.
Fareed’s family has demanded an independent inquiry into the matter against the UBL management for possible negligence.
With input from PPI
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2011.
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