Over 150 others complaining of breathing difficulties have been rushed to the hospital over the last 24 hours.
Representational image (Photo: IStock)
The death toll in the toxic gas leak in Pakistan’s port city Karachi rose to eight on Tuesday prompting Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to order the evacuation of residents from the affected areas.
Earlier in the day, there were three more deaths confirmed by the authorities. More than 370 people have been shifted to hospitals, 100 among them were in critical condition.
On Monday, Deputy Inspector General of Police of South Karachi Sharjeel Kharal said that the gas leaked after workers were unloading a chemical loaded container from a ship docked at the Kemari area of the Karachi port.
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Over 150 others complaining of breathing difficulties have been rushed to the hospital over the last 24 hours.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the incident.
The police said that numerous persons were also affected, became unconscious and suffered breathing problems. They were taken to Ziauddin hospital in Clifton and other hospitals for medical treatment.
Edhi Foundation spokesperson identified one of the two deceased as Imran Ashraf, 30, while another was unknown aged around 50 years.
In 2015, over 150 people fainted when ammonia gas leaked from an ice factory in a densely populated locality in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
In the same year, 46 workers were killed and over 100 injured when the four-storey building of the polyester factory was collapsed in Sundar Industrial Estate of Lahore.
Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, Pakistan’s largest city and also the country’s chief commercial hub. It also has oil refineries nearby.
(With inputs from agency)
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