Death toll rises in Pakistan factory fires

(Vatican Radio) More than 200 people have died in fires that swept through two factories in Pakistan, one in the city of Karachi and the other in Lahore. The death toll from the late Tuesday fires is likely to raise fresh questions about industrial safety in the South Asian nation and draw more criticism of the deeply unpopular government.

Such safety issues are common in Pakistan, where many factories are set up illegally in the country’s densely populated cities, and owners often pay officials bribes to look the other way.

The more deadly of the two blazes that broke out Tuesday night was at a garment factory in the southern city of Karachi, the country’s economic heart.

Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation as people caught in the basement were unable to escape when it filled with smoke. There were no fire exits, and the doors leading out of the basement were locked. It’s possible the death toll could rise further because authorities suspect there may still be bodies stuck in the basement.

Workers on higher floors of the five-story building struggled to make it out of windows that were covered with metal bars. Many were injured when they jumped from the building, including a 27-year-old pregnant woman who was injured in the fall.

A fire also swept through a four-story shoe factory in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday night, killing 25 people, some from burns and some from suffocation. The factory was illegally set up in a residential part of the city.

It broke out when people in the building were trying to start their generator after the electricity went out. Sparks from the generator made contact with chemicals used to make the shoes, igniting the blaze. Pakistan faces widespread blackouts, and many people use generators to provide electricity for their houses or to run businesses.

A firefighter at the scene, said the reason most of the victims died was because the main escape route was blocked.

Firefighters broke holes in the factory’s brick walls to reach victims inside. At the morgue, bodies were lined up on a hallway floor, covered with white sheets.

Listen to the report by Christopher Wells: