Panic grips residents of Keamari after toxic gas kills 5

Fear and panic continued to grip Keamari neighbourhood of the metropolis on Monday after a toxic gas mysteriously spread over the area, leaving five dead and over 150 others unconscious, on Sunday evening. Authorities are still clueless about the actual cause of a rare spillover of the toxic gas in the Karachi port's East Wharf residential locality as investigation continues into the tragic incident.

More gas hit patients are being brought to the hospitals for trauma treatment as panic persists in the port town among public. Several residents left Keamari soon after deaths were confirmed in panic to other parts of Karachi to save their families.

"My kid suffered respiratory problem soon after gas hit the area and I took him to the hospital where doctors advised me to shift him out of Keamari. I am moving my family to some other safe place," Fazal Sher, a resident of Sanober Sarong Compound, Keamari told Business Recorder.

A number of people including women and children were reported to have suffered eye burns and respiratory complication on the Monday as well. Official sources at Dr Ziauddin Hospital Keamari told Business Recorder that they have received more than 125 patients of inhaling poisonous gas cases since last night.

"Since morning we treated 11 patients including 3 children aged 3-10 year old. Right now we have 10 patients including 7 males and 3 females under treatment." They said 5 of them are under observation in ICU and remaining 5 have been shifted in wards. Till now 4 people died, including 2 males and 2 females.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi took to twitter saying, "things are getting normal. Nuclear Biological Chemical Damage (NBCD) team is deployed and is investigating root cause of the poisonous gas. I have just now personally visited East Wharf & checked on the ships, including the vessel carrying soya bean from the US without any mask."

"NBCD is a composite team/department of Pakistan Navy. They were engaged for chemical analysis of the unidentified gas. Around 100 patients have been treated & released since last night," he said.

He ruled out impression of mysterious gas leakage from any cargo ship at KPT, arguing there would have had casualties on the docks or from the crew, but that is not the case. Once we have the report, we will inform all, he said advising people not to believe in any 'rumours'.