The tribunal formed to investigate the cause of fire which erupted in one of Karachi’s factory killing at least 258 people on September 11 would present its report to the the Sindh government on 28th. Two medico-legal officers (MLO) on Wednesday recorded their statements to the tribunal which was headed by Justice (r) Zahid Qurban Alvi.
The MLO of Jinnah hospital Dr Jagdeesh Kumar presented post-mortem reports of nine of the victims of the factory fire. He said these people died because of intensity of the fire and excessive inhaling of carbon-monoxide. Some people died because of fear, shock and ingestion of poisonous gases in stomach and brain, he added.
The MLO of the Civil Hospital Dr Abdul Haq presented post-mortem reports of the 15 people deceased in the incident.
He said a certain type of chemical test of the dead bodies could have ascertained the cause of the fire but there was no facility in the country to conduct those tests.
The tribunal adjourned the hearing after recording statements. The tribunal said it would submit the investigative report to the Sindh government by Sept 28. The statements of the owners, fire officer and other government officials have already been recorded by the tribunal.
Earlier on Monday, the owners of the factory, while recording their statement, said that despite many calls to the fire department, the fire fighters reached the factory after an hour of the incident.
The owners had also claimed that during the fire fighting and rescue operation by the fire department, the water in their reserves was finished and the rescue operation was halted for some time. At least 258 workers perished in the horrific fire that destroyed the garment factory named Ali Enterprises, an unprecedented industrial tragedy that prompted calls for an overhaul of poor safety standards.
