toxic gases responsible for 19 lives from Keamari in last two weeks

Nineteen people including 16 children have died due to a mysterious fever in Muhammad Ali Laghari goth in Karachi’s Kemari District.

Provincial health authorities and Police suspects the illegal and unauthorised factories operating in the Muachh Goth area of Keamari District could be the prime reason behind the alarming and mysterious deaths of several children, teenagers and adults during the last two weeks.

As per details, more than 30 children were still ailing with a mystery fever. It should be note that there were no dispensaries in the region. Moreover, the smoke from “illegal” factories makes it difficult for the patents to breathe.

The Sindh Health Department’s initial report pins the blame on toxic chemicals that caused ‘interstitial lung disease’, leading to the deaths while referring to the complaints of emissions from factories causing foul smell, throat irritation and suffocation.

The local people say that their village falls in the constituency of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel but charged that not even a single public dispensary was functioning in the entire area, forcing them to go to private hospitals or the Civil Hospital, Karachi.

Meanwhile, District Health Office (DHO) Kemari Dr Muhammad Arif claimed that the death of two children is due to Measles, adding that a team was working further to find out the reasons behind the deaths in Goth.

DHO Kemari Muhammad Arif stated that the team is collecting samples from the patients and directed them to establish the medical camps and appoint doctors to take further care of the patients.

While claiming that 10 children have already perished in the area, deputy commissioner (DC) Kemari Mukhtiar Ali Abro shut numerous unlawful industries and detained four people.

Sindh Health Department in initial report states that 18 mysterious deaths were reported from Ali Muhammad Goth, Muach Goth UC 8, District Keamari, in 16 days from Jan 10 to 25 and all exhibited symptoms of fever, sore throat and shortness of breath followed by death in 5-7 days.

District Health Officer (DHO), Keamari, Dr Arif-ur-Rehman, confirmed some deaths had occurred in the area, including some children and adults during the last two weeks and blamed it on the emission of noxious gases emitted by some illegal factories, which burn plastic, melt metals and other materials to produce various products.