Six family members perish in van blaze in Karachi

KARACHI: Six people, including a woman and minor children, were burnt to death when a Hiace van caught fire in North Karachi area of the metropolitan city on Sunday night.

The incident took place near the Do-Minute Chowrangi in North Karachi when the van caught fire all of a sudden. As a result, two real brothers, a woman and three children died on the spot while some five others were injured.|

The deceased and the injured were first taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy and medical treatment; however, the injured persons were later moved to the Burns Ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi, for further medical treatment where doctors termed their condition critical as all the victims sustained severe burn injuries.

It is yet to be ascertained how the fire erupted. According to witnesses, the fire broke out first in the fronthead of the vehicle, rapidly spreading to the rear. Those caught in the vehicle could not save themselves. The van then hit a rickshaw, which also caught fire. “The fire was intense and it did not give a chance to anyone in the van to come out of the van to save their lives,” said witnesses. “We (the crowd) also attempted to save the people trapped in the van but could not due to the intense heat and flames.”

The people also used water to extinguish the fire but the fire continued and also damaged two rickshaws partially. Initial investigation suggests that the deceased persons belonged to the same family, who were on their way to Zia Colony in Gulshan-e-Iqbal to attend a valima reception from their residence in Taiser Town in Surjani when the tragic incident occurred.

Law enforcers including police and Rangers cordoned off the site of the incident. They were investigating the matter from various angles. Police investigators said a short circuit apparently could have caused the fire as the compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder installed in the vehicle remained intact. Fire fighters reached the spot and controlled the situation. According to initial reports, deceased persons have been identified as Mehrunnisa, her daughter Laiba, her brother Sufiyan, Mujeebur Rehman and his wife Nilofer while one deceased person is yet to be identified. The injured persons included Deedar, Arsalan, Jamal, Hafza and Nasir. Their relative Ismail said that Mujeebur Rehman and his brother Nasir along with their wives and children were on their way to attend a Valima reception of their relative in Gulshan-e-Iqbal when the incident occurred.

The rickshaw driver remained unhurt in the incident. District Central SSP Arif Aslam Rao said the police have detained both the rickshaw drivers as some witnesses claimed that petrol bottles in the rickshaws caused the massive fire when the van hit their rickshaws.