Cleanup Gone Wrong: Five suffocate in water tank
SHO Sarfaraz Ali informed the water tank was full of gas, doctors said that all the men died from gas suffocation.
KARACHI:
At least five people died of suffocation after going inside an underground water tank to clean it at their house in Bhains Colony, within Sukkan police limits, on Friday.
Police said that Bakht Zada, 13, son of Gul Zada, was the first to go into the tank, but reportedly fell unconscious. Naseem Zada, 15, and Taj Mir, 22, went in to rescue their brother. Bakht’s cousin, Sher Hassan, 18, and a neighbor, Ghufran, 35, son of Khan Mohammad, followed Naseem and Mir, but also fell conscious. A large number of neighbours gathered outside the house and called the police and volunteers from welfare organisations for help. The men were later pulled out and taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced them dead.
Their bodies were handed to families after medico-legal formalities had been completed. SHO Sarfaraz Ali informed that the water tank was full of gas, and that the doctors said that all the men died due to gas suffocation.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2012.
At least five people died of suffocation after going inside an underground water tank to clean it at their house in Bhains Colony, within Sukkan police limits, on Friday.
Police said that Bakht Zada, 13, son of Gul Zada, was the first to go into the tank, but reportedly fell unconscious. Naseem Zada, 15, and Taj Mir, 22, went in to rescue their brother. Bakht’s cousin, Sher Hassan, 18, and a neighbor, Ghufran, 35, son of Khan Mohammad, followed Naseem and Mir, but also fell conscious. A large number of neighbours gathered outside the house and called the police and volunteers from welfare organisations for help. The men were later pulled out and taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced them dead.
Their bodies were handed to families after medico-legal formalities had been completed. SHO Sarfaraz Ali informed that the water tank was full of gas, and that the doctors said that all the men died due to gas suffocation.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2012.