According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muqaddas Haider, the gas was reportedly emitted from a container carrying chemical used to preserve peas which affected over 70 people in different areas of the neighbourhood near Karachi port.
The victims have been shifted to the hospital and causes of the incident are being ascertained, he added.
The police official said that the authorities concerned have already been informed about the incident.
The administration of Ziauddin Hospital has confirmed that over 70 patients were brought to the hospital suffering from experiencing stomach ache and breathing problems.
They said all the patients are the residents of Keemari “who are being given medical aid”.
However, sources of Karachi port denied the reports that there was any gas or chemical leaked from any container.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah while taking notice of the incident, summoned a report from the authorities.
Meanwhile, Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed the port authorities to investigate the cause of the gas leakage.
He also said that the incident did not occur in the port premises.
“I have directed KPT [Karachi Port Trust] to investigate & establish facts. Meanwhile [the] KPT has also been directed to treat the patients at the KPT hopsital in Kemari. Rest assured, details of the sad incident will be shared in due course & those responsible will be dealt with severely,” he said in a series of tweets.
With regards to the possible cause of the incident, the DIG said that initial investigation suggested that a ship had arrived at the port, which was located near Jackson market. The ship was reportedly carrying vegetables and when the container was opened, fumes emanated from it, which caused breathing problems for residents of the area.
“If there had been a leak from the port, then the first affectees would be the people working there. Here we are in front of you,” he said. Akhtar said that the area under the KPT's jurisdiction — which included berths and terminals — had been "completely inspected" and that no evidence of a gas leak had been found.
The rear admiral said he was not in a position to state the source or origin of the leak because the Pakistan Navy’s Biological and Chemical Damage Control team had not provided any results yet.
Akhtar hoped the results of the samples will be released in a day or two
At least six people died and dozens were hospitalised on Sunday due to a gas leakage in the city's Keamari area.
Those hospitalised had complained of respiratory problems, police officials and doctors said, noting that the real cause of the incident could not be ascertained. Sources said the leakage occurred while the chemicals were being offloaded from a cargo ship anchored at Keamari Jetty.The deceased included two women as well.
'100 patients treated and released'
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Zaidi said a Navy's team was conducting a chemical analysis of the unidentified gas.
He said around 100 patients have been treated so far, with two of them still at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.
“For the record, approx 100 patients have been treated and released since last night. Two are still in ICU. We continue to monitor the situation,” he said in a Twitter post.
4 Customs House employees faint due to ongoing toxic gas issue
Earlier on Monday, due to the ongoing toxic gas issues, four employees of the Customs House fainted.
Following the incident, the employees were sent home and the building was shut down.
Tags:
Chemicals