Case registered against Mehran Town factory owner, officials after blaze kills 17

Karachi police have registered a case against the owner and several officials of a factory following a fire that killed 17 labourers, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said on Saturday.

"Proper investigation has been initiated in this case and justice will be ensured," Wahab said in a Twitter post.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 322 (punishment for murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR stated that the building did not have an emergency exit or an emergency alarm in case an unforeseen situation were to arise. "The building is constructed in such a way that no one can exit if there is an emergency situation," it said.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government has announced that the families of those killed in the factory fire will receive Rs1 million as compensation.

The fire erupted at around 10 am on Friday morning in the chemical factory located in Mehran Town in the Korangi Industrial Area.

At least 17 killed in Karachi chemical factory blaze

As per the fire brigade officials, the exit door to the roof was locked that hindered rescue operations, and the building had no adequate fire safety measures.

There were more than 20 laborers trapped inside the factory when the rescue operation began.

The initial investigation shows that a short circuit caused the fire while a post-mortem examination revealed cardio-respiratory failure, caused by smoke and soot from the fire that led to suffocation.