Toxic gas release: Still a mystery

Mystery still shrouds around the leakage of deadly toxic gas, which caused the deaths of over 14 people and sickness to over 300 people in Karachi port surrounding areas in Keamari till Tuesday evening.

According to a report by the daily Dawn provincial Local Government minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani addressed a press conference on February 18, and said they were still clueless about the source of the gas and what was its nature. Authorities are still investigating it.

A laboratory report released by the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) indicated that soybean dust (aeroallergens) was found in the samples of those who died on Monday.

The new development of the lab report has further deepened the crisis as the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) authorities denied the release of soybean dust and said a patient who died in a hospital was already admitted to the hospital before the anchorage of the soybean ship.

Although there is no confirmed cause of the deaths, the environmental watchdog Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is also blank.

Meanwhile, the residents of Keamari, Jackson and Railway Colony staged a protest demonstration at the main road against authorities on their failure to ascertain the cause of the toxic gas.

Deaths due to mysterious gas leakage in Keamari port area

At least six persons died and dozens were seriously got an illness and admitted to two major hospitals in the port area of Keamari – Kutiyana and Ziauddin — early in the morning on Monday, media reports said.

The mysterious poisonous and deadly gas is suspected to have come out from a chemical storage warehouse in the Keamari area. The authorities have kept mum on the cause of the release.

“Port authorities are trying to hide the facts,” said Faisal Edhi, head of Edhi Foundation, the top ambulance service in the country in a video shared by media. “They should tell the truth so further deaths and damage be prevented,” Edhi added.

Watch wideo by clicking herehttps://youtu.be/T7Bn9GS-prQ

According to police, most of the affected people have become unconscious after inhaling toxic gas and many others are facing difficulties in inhaling.  

It is a very serious matter and criminal neglect on part of the authorities as they have failed to prevent the release of deadly and toxic gas in the congested port area. They are now trying to hide the fact to save their skins.

The police and port authorities should locate the place from where the gas was released and all the responsible persons or departments be taken to task. Besides Police, the Karachi Port Authority, Federal Government’s Ports and Shipping Department, Pakistan Navy, Environment Protection Authority (EPA), KMC (City Government) and the Civil Defence departments should be asked to play their roles. Not only the culprits be nabbed, but the government should take preventive measures so a similar incident has not happened in future.