KARACHI, Pakistan - Fires at two clothing factories in Pakistan left 283 people dead — many trapped behind locked doors and barred windows — tragedies that highlight workplace perils in a country where many buildings lack basic safety equipment and owners often bribe officials to ignore the violations. The blazes broke out Tuesday night at a garment factory in the southern port city of Karachi and a shoe manufacturer in the eastern city of Lahore. At least 258 people died in the fire in Karachi, where rescue workers were still searching Wednesday for bodies in the charred building. Another 25 perished in Lahore. Panicked workers in Karachi had only one way out since the factory's owner had locked all the other exit doors in response to a recent theft, officials said. Many victims suffocated in the smoke-filled basement. "The owner of the factory should also be burned to death the way our dear ones have died in a miserable condition," said Nizam-ud-Din, whose nephew was killed in the fire, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Pakistani history. Police were searching for the factory's managers and placed the owner on a list of people who are not allowed to leave the country, said Roshan Ali Sheikh, a top government official in Karachi. "It is a criminal act to lock the emergency exit doors, and we are trying to know who did it, and why," Sheikh said. The fire started when a boiler exploded and the flames ignited chemicals that were stored in the factory, which manufactured jeans and other clothes for export. Between 300 and 400 workers were inside when the blaze erupted. Many of the deaths were caused by suffocation as people trapped in the basement were unable to escape when it filled with smoke, said Karachi fire chief Ehtisham-ud-Din. Those on the upper floors of the five-story building had to break through metal bars covering the windows so they could leap to safety. Dozens were injured doing so, including a 27-year-old pregnant woman. "When smoke spread all around, I jumped out the window in panic," said Mohammad Shahzad, who broke an arm and a leg when he hit the ground. "I found myself in the hospital when I regained my senses." Others burned to death as they tried to wriggle through the barred windows. "There were no safety measures taken in the building design," said senior police official Amir Farooqi. "There was no emergency exit. These people were trapped." Firefighters were still battling the blaze Wednesday. The death toll spiked as they entered previously inaccessible parts of the factory and found scores more bodies. The death toll stood at 258 by Wednesday evening, including a 10-year-old boy, said Sheikh. Another 31 people were injured. Rani Bibi said her two sons-in-law called Tuesday night to say they were trapped in the factory and asked her to tell their wives to take good care of their children. She hasn't heard from them since, and couldn't find their bodies in any of the hospitals in the city. "We don't know where they are," said Bibi, tears flowing down her face. "I hope to hear their voices. My two daughters' lives are ruined." The fire that swept through the four-story shoe factory in Lahore left 25 people dead, some from burns and others from suffocation, said senior police officer Multan Khan. The fire broke out as workers were trying to start a generator after electricity went out in the building. Sparks from the generator made contact with chemicals used to make shoes, igniting the blaze, which blocked the only exit. Firefighters had to break through the building's brick walls to save people, officials said. Raza Rumi, an analyst at the Islamabad-based Jinnah Institute, said the fire in Karachi was one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the country's history. "It is reflective of the utter collapse of regulation and the enforcement of labor laws in the country," he said. The problem has gotten worse in recent years as the federal government handed over factory oversight to provincial authorities, but local governments failed to develop legislation enforcing labor laws or basic safety regulations, Rumi said. Many Pakistani factories lack even basic safety equipment, such as alarms and sprinklers. In Punjab province, where Lahore is the capital, authorities abolished labor inspections altogether in 2003 to develop a more "business-friendly environment," Rumi said. It was unclear whether anger over the fires in Karachi and Lahore will prompt provincial governments to focus on passing new labor regulations. source I feel horrible for all the grieving families. It is a sad indictment of businesses and government that something like this can still take place. Say what you want about modern day labor unions in the US, but back in the day when they were about fighting for worker safety they did a good thing for our country. I wish workers everywhere had the basic safety protections that all deserve. The idea that hundreds of people died because some business locked all the doors is horrific. Hopefully this brings about some changes - not just in Pakistan, but everywhere that basic safety rules are being overlooked though greed or corruption.
I've had some experience with bars on windows in the third world. Its a security issue more than a labor issue. Countries with weak governance and poor populations, like Pakistan, leave their citizens turning their homes and businesses into prisons, with bars on every window, few exits, and locked doors. The homes are this way, the businesses are this way, even the nicest neighborhoods have bars on the windows of mansions. In Costa Rica, the insurance companies won't pay theft claims unless the bars are there, so their fatality rate from home fires is outrageously high.
Bad news indeed. This comment sums it up: "It is reflective of the utter collapse of regulation and the enforcement of labor laws in the country," he said. An example of the small government model.
No, it's a labor issue. Unions fight for worker safety. No unions, no safety. Unions gained power after the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, before the fire they met with indifference and resistence. After the fire, not so much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire It's unfortunate that people in Pakistan resort to bars on their windows. But a strong union would have made sure there was an effective plan to evacuate.
No its a security issue. Costa Rica is a heavily unionized country with leftist groups and strong labor laws ruling the day. So much so, the country's economy languishs behind its much more pro-business neighbor to the south in Panama. Panama, with lower taxes and a pro-business environment raises so much more revenue via a thriving economy. they are actually able to put police on the streets and punish criminal behavior. Costa Rica, with all its laws and good intent is a country of government monopolies, poor people, and bars on windows where people die in their own houses and businesses from fires. I'm not personally familiar with Pakistan, but the same principals apply. Besides, Islamists are basically socialists at the end of the day, with that thick sense of entitlement. Really just 2nd or 3rd cousins from union workers.
That's the stupidest thing I've head this century. No wonder that the phrase "liberal idiot" became so popular . You really have no idea of what's going on in Pakistan , do you ? It's not about the unions it's about Pakistan being a failed and overpopulated state .
"Wow, overgeneralize much?" back at you. I've never worked at a company with a union. From my experience, "No unions, no safety" is not an accurate statement.
Perhaps. Nevertheless there are a few basic things they share in common. 1) Destruction of the individual 2) Thug tactics to accomplish achieve their ends 3) Mob mentality 4) Rejection of consequences to their communities for their own bad behavior. Unions in the US started out as a necessary response to oppressive work environments. Big labor vs Big Business. As Browntwn points out, they are at the root of many of the labor laws and worker protections we currently have in place. Unions of today, and more specifically government employee unions, are about political self interest at the expense of everyone else. They represent less than 7% of workers in the US, and that number is rapidly declining, not from legislation, but from lack of popularity. When places like California do away with all the state legislation that protects workers, I have no doubt that Unions will make a re-appearance. If our government would deal with too big to fail, many of our private sector unions would disappear completely. It is one of the reasons our president hasn't addressed the issue.
From http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/legacy/TFAndILGWU.html The Triangle fire became a central moment in the history of the labor movement and in particular of the ILGWU. It endured in the collective memory of its members as a symbol of the evils that made it necessary for workers to organize into unions. In their eyes, the death of these workers enabled the laws designed to protect workers' lives and well-being. As David Dubinsky, President of the ILGWU, said at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the fire in 1961: "These were our martyrs because what we couldn't accomplish by reasoning with the bosses, by pleading with the bosses, by arguing with the bosses, they accomplished with their deaths." So what kind of companies have you worked for?
Leave it to a liberal to go from Pakistan to US policies in a heartbeat . Honey you're way off the scale .
Thanks for the history lesson. I suppose by your logic, we can take any fire at any work place that causes fatalities and attribute it to a labor issue. Deep water horizon. Labor issue. Fukishima. Labor issue. Conversely, every safe work environment on the planet must only be there because of unions. I believe this is what Rebecca was getting at when she called out your hypocrisy on allegations of over generalization. Scratching my head trying to figure out where she was wrong.
Speaking of unions , miners across the world have the strongest unions there is and yet after 100 years they still die in countless numbers due to collapses and bad working conditions. It's sad that a lot of lives could be saved by just redirecting fond from keeping the miners happy to keeping them alive .
Just blame the British really - we created you. Well no, we didn't actually we just put a line between you and India, had Harry Hill come in and say 'FIGHT!'
#1 I'm not Paki #2 No one told the Pakistanis to have more population then they can sustain via their country's natural resources . In 60 years they should have learned to put on a condom .