107 dead in fires in 2 Pakistani cities

Separate deadly fires destroyed two factories in Karachi and Lahore, with the death toll of their workers reaching 107, Pakistani authorities said. Both fires occurred Tuesday, one of them in a garment factory in Karachi, the country's largest city as well as its main port and financial center, and the other in a shoe factory in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city in eastern Punjab province. China's Xinhua news agency, quoting local authorities and media reports, said the death toll from the two fires had reached at least 107, with the Karachi blaze killing 81 people and the Lahore fire leaving 26 dead. It was feared several more bodies may still be in the Karachi facility, the report said. Dozens more were injured and suffered burns, some seriously, which raised fears the death toll could jump further. Pakistan's News International reported Wednesday firefighters in Karachi were yet to bring the garment factory blaze, which broke out Tuesday evening, fully under control so they can reach those still trapped inside. The Lahore shoe plant fire broke out after an electricity generator caught fire and flames immediately engulfed chemicals at the facility, the News reported. Firefighters had to knock down a wall to retrieve the bodies. The Daily Times reported some of the dead were so badly charred that identifying them was posing a problem. The report quoted a police official as blaming the blaze on inadequate fire safety measures. Other reports said the owner of the shoe factory was among those killed. Those killed in the Karachi fire, whose cause had not yet been determined, included at least four women, the News said, quoting a fire official. The official was quoted as saying about 250 workers were at the site when the fire erupted in the evening. The report said several of them rushed to the rooftop as there was only one exit out of the building. Several of them jumped from their perch, suffering serious injuries. As firefighters worked to put out the fire, a large boiler exploded causing the flames to spread to all floors, trapping several of the workers, the report said. The Express Tribune newspaper, quoting a fire official, said the fire was so intense firefighters were having difficulty entering the facility. Sky News quoted the head of the emergency department at a Karachi hospital that many of the bodies brought there were so badly burned it was difficult even to determine their gender. Karachi Fire Chief Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui was quoted as saying he feared the factory collapse any time.