HYDERABAD, NOV 16: A fresh body pulled from the wreckage of a firecracker factory in Hyderabad’s Latifabad area has taken the death toll to seven, while six people remain injured, rescue officials said.
“There are two deaths, and we have sent four to five injured to hospitals,” Latifabad Assistant Commissioner Saud Lund told the media soon after the blast.
Rescue teams later recovered four more bodies from the rubble, taking the toll to six before the latest recovery pushed it to seven.
Two of the deceased have been identified as Rasheed and Waris, said the Civil Hospital administration, adding that three of the injured were in critical condition who have been shifted to Karachi.
Meanwhile, two wounded are being treated in the Civil Hospital and the woman injured in the blast has been discharged.
Also, the police have said that the owner of the firecracker factory is on the run and efforts are being made to arrest him.
Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro confirmed the increase in the death toll during his visit to the incident site. “Action against illegal factories must be taken,” he said while talking to journalists.
One of the wounded, while being treated at the Civil Hospital, told Geo News that the facility served both as a factory as well as a warehouse, with the former situated on the ground floor.
“[We] had been working [at the factory] for four to five years,” said Anas, adding that they also had a licence for the factory and that the facility was intentionally located away from the population.
“More than 10 people were there when the explosion occurred,” he noted
Earlier, AC Lund said that the firecrackers were being illegally manufactured in the house without a licence. “The room, where the crackers were being made, was destroyed in the blast.”
“There is debris from the collapsed room and boundary wall, and we have reports that some people, including children, were working inside. Our teams are trying to retrieve them,” he added.
The blast triggered a fire that caused part of the structure to collapse. Police confirmed that the room and adjoining sections caught fire immediately after the explosion.
Law enforcers and rescue personnel reached the location shortly after the incident, with the fire brigade currently conducting firefighting operations.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has sought a detailed report on the factory blast, according to the provincial spokesperson. The chief minister also ordered an audit of safety measures at the factory.
CM Murad said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the explosion, adding that negligence in ensuring workers’ safety would not be tolerated.
A similar explosion took place in a firecracker warehouse in Karachi’s Saddar in August this year, leaving six dead and several injured.
The ground-plus-two building housed medical equipment shops in addition to the firecracker warehouse.
According to the FIR, the suspects had stockpiled a large quantity of fireworks in a disorderly manner and without any safety measures. Their negligence and recklessness led to the loss of precious lives, injuries, and significant property damage.
The report further stated that one of the suspects was injured in the blast, while another — who was present at the time of the explosion — fled the scene in his car.
