Two factory fires kill 135 in Pakistan
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Islamabad - Fires at two separate factories in Pakistan killed at least 135 people and injured dozens more, officials said Wednesday.
The most deadly blaze struck a garment factory in Karachi, the country's economic hub on the south coast, killing at least 115 workers.
"Death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue with their search," said Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman for Edhi ambulance services.
Dozens of firefighters and around 30 emergency vehicles took several hours to bring the fire under control after it broke out late Tuesday.
Authorities attributed the high number of casualties to lack of emergency exits.
More than 100 workers escaped from the multi-storey building, several with broken limbs after they jumped out of windows.
Witnesses told local media outlets that victims' cries for help could be heard from the burning building.
One of the witnesses told the Samaa news channel that some trapped workers managed to reach windows but could not get out because of metal grills.
Doctors at Karachi's major state-run hospitals reported struggling as emergency wards and mortuaries filled with casualties.
Seemi Jamali, head of Jinnah hospital, told dpa that most of victims died of smoke inhalation, and many bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Karachi police were searching the city for the factory owners, who have reportedly been barred from leaving the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, fire gutted a plastics factory in Pakistan's second-largest city Lahore, killing at least 21 people.
Emergency officials said they believed the fire started when a generator inside the building malfunctioned and ignited chemicals.//DPA
