Fire kills 10 in Thatta

THATTA: Ten people, including four children and two women, were burnt to death when a fire engulfed several huts on the Bachoo Island in Thatta district on Sunday.

Police said the fire erupted at a diesel storage house established in the huts for fishing boats. They said that the diesel caught fire when a fisherman tried to light a candle at night.

Rescue sources said that seven people died on the spot, while three succumbed to their burn injuries at a hospital.Police said that three women and four children had died on the spot while three others died on their way to hospital. The fire spread to the nearby slums, engulfing over 100 huts. Seven people were injured and shifted to Karachi. The injured were identified as Ghazi, Ladan, Shakeela, Hamid, Ghulam Rasool, Aziz and Shahi.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah ordered the deputy commissioner Thatta to submit an inquiry report.Deputy Commissioner Thatta Nadeem-ur-Rehman said that he had sent fire tenders to the site soon after receiving the news of the fire.