2 women killed in stampede for flour

Several others were injured in a stampede when rations were being distributed at the Sau Quarter area of Korangi.

KARACHI:
Two women died and several others were injured in a stampede when rations were being distributed at the Sau Quarter area of Korangi on Friday.

Javed, a vendor of Golden Paan, was distributing ration bags to poor people at his house when hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered to collect their share.

He planned to distribute 800 packets of flour but the arrangements were haphazard and the crowd was impatient.

The large number of women gathered started pushing and shoving each other to reach the bags first.


It was during the chase for one of these bags that 65-year-old Maluka, wife of Hanif, and 50-year-old Shamsa, wife of Jalal, lost their lives.

According to Zaman Town police, both the victims were Bengali speaking and residents of Sector 50/B in Bengali Para. The police have detained Javed and initiate a probe into the incident.

A woman who lost consciousness in the stampede was taken to hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2010.
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