sazzy
Member
Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19566851
Side-bar Analysis:
Someone needs to go to jail for this..
At least 246 people have died in a fire at a garment factory in Karachi, officials say, in one of Pakistan's worst ever industrial accidents.
Many others were injured in the inferno which raged for 15 hours overnight.
Hundreds were trapped inside - the building had metal grilles on the windows and no fire exits. Many workers jumped from the upper floors.
Some 40 firefighting vehicles were needed to tackle the blaze. Rescuers have spent the day recovering bodies.
There are reports of people trapped inside frantically ringing their friends and relatives as flames engulfed the building.
The fire broke out hours after another blaze at a shoe factory in Lahore killed at least 25 people.
Investigations have been announced into both fires. Reports say they may have been caused by faulty electricity generators.
Side-bar Analysis:
It is not just textile mills - industries across Pakistan are increasingly prone to disaster. Sometimes it is the collapse of poorly constructed premises - but fires remain the main danger.
In general, the problem is the same that plagues all matters of governance in Pakistan - enforcement of the law. Industrial standards are disregarded to minimise cost as inspectors are paid to look the other way.
Textile factories are particularly at risk because of the lethal combination of chemical dyes and stacks of cotton often stored next to each other - ensuring a deadly result.
Fire exits - as in the case of the factory in Karachi - exist only on paper, a factor in raising casualty figures. The city administration itself has a limited number of fire engines to serve the growing needs of an increasingly sprawling metropolis.
What is generally a small and controllable mistake is made worse by years of official disregard for workers' safety. That in turn produces such tragedies - which are then covered up, only to be repeated a few months later.
Someone needs to go to jail for this..