Labourers’ deaths not caused by boiler blast: chief boiler inspector

Deaths of six labourers at a factory in the Landhi area on Wednesday were not caused by explosion of a boiler as some media reports stated; instead, the labourers received severe burns when molten metal and combustible gases accidentally splashed out from a rotary tilting furnace, causing fire.

This was stated in a report released by the chief inspector of boilers of the Sindh industries department.

According to the report, a team of boiler inspectors visited the site of accident and met the administration general manager of the factory, M/s Atlas Engineering Ltd. The report ruled out the possibility of boiler explosion as there was no boiler installed at the industrial unit.

Labourers laid to rest

Meanwhile, at least four of the six labourers, who died after receiving severe burn injuries in the accident, were laid to rest on Thursday.

The deceased men included 30-year-old Muhammad Saleem, 40-year-old Enayat Ramzan, 30-year-old Muhammad Imran, 30-year-old Saleem Shabbir, 25-year-old Amir and Shadman. Funeral prayers for Saleem, Ramzan, Imran and Shabbir were offered in the Quaidabad, Khokhrapar and Malir’s Bakra Piri areas and they were buried at various cemeteries.

The body of Amir was sent to his hometown Muzaffarabad while the body of the sixth victim, Shadman, was also handed over to his family for burial. Family members of the deceased who attended their funerals demanded the government investigate the incident. They also demanded compensation for the victims’ families.

Another labourer, Fahim, who sustained minor burn injuries in the accident, is being treated at the burns ward of Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital.

The seven labourers suffered burn injuries when, according to initial investigations, one of the three kilns at the auto-spare parts factory exploded apparently due to gas pressure on Wednesday morning. They were rushed to Civil hospital where six of them succumbed to their injuries.

Investigations

According to District Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur, the Karachi commissioner constituted an inquiry team to investigate the incident after Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the deaths of labourers.

The police are waiting for the findings of the inquiry committee to register a case, the SSP said, adding that the police had also initiated their own investigations and so far recorded statements of labourers at the factory, administrative staff and the victims’ relatives. The factory administration is in coordination with the police, the officer maintained. Initially, there were reports that the accident took place when a boiler exploded at the factory with a loud bang and caused fire. However, the chief boiler inspector negated such claims in his initial report, explaining that the labourers were burnt due to boiling metal in a furnace.