Anarkali tragedy: 13 killed in Lahore market fire

Short circuit triggers blaze; Punjab CM announces compensation

LAHORE:

A day after a devastating conflagration at the country’s biggest timber market in Karachi, a massive fire swept through a commercial plaza at a busy market in downtown Lahore, killing 13 people and gutting several shops.

An electrical short circuit in the four-storey Al Khalid Plaza was the likely cause of the fire in the Al Kareem Market area of New Anarkali where mostly electronic items are manufactured and sold. Witnesses said the fire erupted at 5:32pm and within 10 minutes it engulfed the entire building.

Medics and officials confirmed that 13 people – including a woman and a child – were killed. They said most of the fatalities occurred due to suffocation. Eyewitness Muhammad Hasnaat said the fire spread very quickly and a large number of shopkeepers and customers were trapped in the building.

DCO Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman blamed an electrical short circuit for the conflagration. Firefighters of Rescue 1122, who reached the site shortly after the fire ignited, concurred with DCO Usman.

The Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Jam Sajjad Hussain, told The Express Tribune that 16 fire engines and 80 firefighters were sent to the market to rescue the trapped people and douse the fire. He said there was only one entry/exit point to the congested market which hampered the rescue operation.



One of the rescuers, Ali Ahmed, said streets and alleyways in the neighbhourhood were very narrow which made it difficult for the firefighters to carry water to the burning building. While rescue operation was ongoing, the police struggled to keep a crowd of onlookers away from the site.

However, traders and eyewitnesses said encroachments in the area delayed the rescue efforts. “There was a lack of coordination between the city district government Rescue 1122 and the city traffic police,” one trader said.

Medics at the Mayo Hospital where all the casualties were taken confirmed the death toll. “Most of the deaths occurred due to suffocation, while some of them died due to burn injuries,” said Dr Amjad Shahzad, the medical superintendent of the hospital. He added that two men were also wounded.

Seven of the dead have been identified as Syed Sheraz Ali, Sanaullah, Ateequr Rehman, Nauman Khan, Waleed bin Ateeq, Azam Khan, Haji Ijaz. Punjab Finance and Law Minister Mian Mujhtaba Shujaur Rehman said that the remaining five bodies, including that of the woman and the child, could not be identified.

Talking notice of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed the city district government to submit a report on the incident within 24 hours. He also announced Rs0.5 million compensation for each of the dead and Rs0.1 million for each of the injured.

The chief minister also formed a high-level team – comprising the health secretary, DCO, CCPO, commissioner, MNA Pervaiz Malik, provincial ministers Bilal Yasin and Mian Mujhtaba Shujaur Rehman – to ensure the monetary compensation is delivered to the victims.

The Anarkali Traders Union announced the market will remain closed today (Tuesday) to mourn the tragedy.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2014.