Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif condoles with the family of a deceased factory worker. PHOTO: INP
Hope for finding survivors under the debris of a factory in Sundar Industrial Estate that collapsed last week faded as five more bodies were dug up on Sunday, raising the death toll to 46.
Stench from decaying bodies under the rubble filled the area as workers of Rescue 1122, Pakistan Army and police resumed the search on the fifth day.
Late on Saturday night, the rescuers had dug up the body of 17-year-old Ali Raza, a resident of Vehari. On Sunday morning, they found the body of 17-year-old Sharafat, a resident of Kot Radha Kishan and an unidentified body. The unidentified body was partially decomposed, a Jinnah Hospital morgue spokesman told The Express Tribune. He said four bodies were yet to be identified.
District Coordination Officer Muhamamd Usman said DNA samples would be used for identification. Rescue 1122 spokesman Jam Sajjad Hussain said the search for bodies had been completed in 80 per cent of the factory area. He said the operation was expected to conclude in a day.
The removal of rubble was again suspended for an hour on Sunday to allow dogs to trace survivors. High-resolution cameras were also carried into the ruined building. The search indicated that there could be two more bodies under the rubble.
Rescue officials said once the recovery of bodies was completed, they would begin lifting the debris.
“Search for survivors remains the top priority for now. We also want to excavate the bodies before they decompose.” The DCO said the search operation would cover an area of 6.5 kanals. He said concrete slabs had been cut and lifted using cranes. He said the front portion of the building had been cleared.
“We can now use heavy machines but their use will be restricted to select portions of the building,” he said.
The DCO said Rescue workers had been working day and night since the collapse. “Use of machinery will make their job easier from this point,” he said. “The number of workers on the site will be cut down once the machines are deployed.”
Dozens of families and colleagues of those still missing persons remained at the site when this report was filed.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2015.
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