Karachi Poisonous Gas: Five dead, over 100 hospitalized

At least five people died while another 100 were hospitalized after the Karachi poisonous gas incident last night at the Keamari port area.

The exact cause of the incident is still unknown however according to some reports, this was caused by a chemical spill at the Keamari dockyard.

Emergency was declared across hospitals in Karachi after a large number of people started approaching the hospitals with breathing problems while people were advised to stay indoors through announcements made by mosques.

Law enforcement authorities reached the port when the incident occurred. The police also interviewed patients at the hospitals to try and find the actual cause behind the incident.

Read more: Siblings kept mother’s body in freezer for 12 years in Karachi.

According to reports, area residents claimed that a poisonous gas had leaked from a ship at the seaport which had chemicals stored to preserve vegetables, however the spokesperson for Karachi Port Trust (PKT) denied these rumors saying that no such ship had arrived and was present at the port.

Faisal Edhi, the head of the Edhi Foundation also visited hospitals and reported that around 60-70 people were being treated there for the poisonous gas and asked the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) administration to disclose the exact cause of the incident.

PTI leader and Federal Minister of Maritime Affairs although denied that a poisonous gas had leaked in a Twitter statement this morning saying:

If there was any leak of poisonous gas from a ship, we would have had casualties on the docks or from the crew, but that is not the case. Therefore, as repeatedly requested last night, please stop spreading & believing in rumors. Once we have the report, we will inform all.

If there was any leak of poisonous gas from a ship, we would have had casualties on the docks or from the crew, but that is not the case.
Therefore, as repeatedly requested last night, please stop spreading & believing in rumors.
Once we have the report, we will inform all.

— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) February 17, 2020

He also confirmed the total number of patients that were hospitalized and treated were are around 100 with two of them still in the ICU as of 3 hours ago when he made the tweet saying:

For the record, approx 100 patients have been treated & released since last night.

2 are still in ICU.

We continue to monitor the situation.

For clarification, NBCD is a composite team/department of Pakistan Navy.
They were engaged for chemical analysis of the unidentified gas.
For the record, approx 100 patients have been treated & released since last night.
2 are still in ICU.
We continue to monitor the situation.

— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) February 17, 2020

Read more: FM Qureshi: Pakistan seeks dignified return of Afghan refugees.

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