KARACHI: The Customs House was closed on Monday after four people fell unconscious there while dozens started vomiting as a result of a “mysterious gas leak” in the Kemari port area of the metropolitan, according to Karachi Customs Agents Association.
The Customs authorities said employees have been given leave since air quality is not good. At least five people were reported dead and dozens fell unconscious as a result of a “mysterious gas leak” in the Kemari port area of the metropolitan.
According to initial reports, the gas has affected at least 25 people in the locality and the doctors fear that the death rate may increase as the victims were fearing “severe respiratory problems”.
An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that at least two persons died of suffocation and around 20-25 had fallen unconscious. They had been shifted to a nearby private hospital in Karachi’s Clifton area. All patients have been restricted to one ward in the hospital due to concerns that the condition might be a virus.
It was being claimed that the gas leaked in a ship that was anchored at the Karachi port. However, both the police and the spokesperson of the Karachi Port Trust denied the claim.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (City) Muqaddas Haider, it was not known if the gas emission was caused by any chemical contained by a ship or container, adding that the “causes of the incident were being ascertained”.
The spokesperson of the Karachi Port Trust in a statement has claimed that reports pertaining to the gas being released by a recent ship that anchored down at the port were untrue. He also revealed that those affected by the gas were picked up from the road after their health deteriorated. He maintained that there was no report thus far of such a gaseous presence at the port.
