Clothes factory inferno death toll tops 100
- 12 years ago
WARNING - VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
Bodies are pulled from a charred factory in Pakistan's largest city Karachi.
In twin infernos late on Tuesday, flames engulfed two factories in Karachi and Lahore, killing at least 125 people, according to police and government officials.
In the deadliest of the blazes, flames raced through this Karachi garment factory, killing over 100.
On Wednesday morning, many relatives were still awaiting news of their loved ones.
(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) FATHER OF A FACTORY WORKER, MOHAMMAD MURTAZA, SAYING:
"All the bodies that are being retrieved, they were all inside the factory. The body of my son has not been recovered yet. Where is my Baba? He was my youngest son."
Another relative recalls the haunting phone calls he received through the night.
(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) MOHAMMAD ISMAIL, RELATIVE OF VICTIM, SAYING:
"He (my brother-in-law) was trapped in the basement and we were receiving his phone calls as well as others' in the night saying "save us". There were no calls after the night. We went to factory but could not get any information. When we came down here, we knew he was dead."
In Lahore a fire engulfed a shoe factory, killing 25.
Workers there suspect the fire was caused by a problem with a generator.
The cause of the garment factory fire was not clear.
Bodies are pulled from a charred factory in Pakistan's largest city Karachi.
In twin infernos late on Tuesday, flames engulfed two factories in Karachi and Lahore, killing at least 125 people, according to police and government officials.
In the deadliest of the blazes, flames raced through this Karachi garment factory, killing over 100.
On Wednesday morning, many relatives were still awaiting news of their loved ones.
(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) FATHER OF A FACTORY WORKER, MOHAMMAD MURTAZA, SAYING:
"All the bodies that are being retrieved, they were all inside the factory. The body of my son has not been recovered yet. Where is my Baba? He was my youngest son."
Another relative recalls the haunting phone calls he received through the night.
(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) MOHAMMAD ISMAIL, RELATIVE OF VICTIM, SAYING:
"He (my brother-in-law) was trapped in the basement and we were receiving his phone calls as well as others' in the night saying "save us". There were no calls after the night. We went to factory but could not get any information. When we came down here, we knew he was dead."
In Lahore a fire engulfed a shoe factory, killing 25.
Workers there suspect the fire was caused by a problem with a generator.
The cause of the garment factory fire was not clear.