Three labourers die of suffocation

Three labourers died of suffocation on Monday at a factory in Shah Faisal Colony. The incident took place at a factory of computerised printing on fabrics located near Nadir Shah Park in Shah Faisal Colony No 2. The labourers, who were on the night shift, were found unconscious by their colleagues who arrived later at the factory and reported rescue organisations about the incident.

Upon receiving the information, rescue workers reached the site and shifted the labourers to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where doctors pronounced them dead.

According to doctors at the hospital, all the three labourers had died of suffocation hours before they were brought to the JPMC. Law enforcers also reached the site and investigated the incident. According to police officials, due to a prolonged power cut, the victims had slept while leaving a generator running all night, which likely resulted in their deaths.

The police officials also suspected that there was a problem of gas leakage in the generator. They claimed to have seized the generator to ascertain the cause of deaths. According to SHO Tanvir Hussain Shah, the police were investigating the matter and the factory owner would be arrested if he was found guilty during the investigations.

The deceased persons were identified as 17-year-old Raza Rafiq, 20-year-old Arsalan Aslam and 32-year-old Rizwan Akram. According to police, Arsalan and Rizwan were relatives of each other and residents of Malir Railway Colony. Raza was a resident of Shah Faisal Colony.

A relative of Arsalan and Rizwan, Naveed, said the two had started working at the factory around two weeks ago and were assigned a night shift duty for the first time when the incident took place. He demanded a transparent inquiry into the case.

Shah Faisal Colony Assistant Commissioner Noor Ahmed Leghari also visited the site. He said the factory was located in a residential area and had been sealed. As safety practices are often not adhered to at factories, labourers’ deaths are frequently being reported in workplace accidents. Earlier on November 15, six labourers burnt to death after a kiln exploded due to gas pressure at a factory in Landhi.