Karachi (September 11, 2018): Today marks the six years of Baldia Town tragedy that happened on September 11, 2012, when garment factories in Baldia Town, Karachi caught fire.
The fires are considered to be the most deadly and worst industrial factory fires in Pakistan’s history, killing 259 people and injuring more than 600.
A private garment factory in Baldia Town, light up with fire and the flames ignited chemicals that were stored in the factory. At least, 300-400 workers were inside the factory when the blaze erupted.
According to the officials, all the exit doors in the factory were locked and many of the windows of the factory were covered with iron bars, which made it difficult for workers to escape at the time of the fire and consequently many of the deaths were caused by suffocation.
Pakistan has one of the largest labour and manpower resources in the world, due to its large population. According to data produced by the CIA World Factbook, the total number of Pakistan’s labour force is 58.4 million, making it the 10th largest country in terms of available human workforce.
The garment factory ‘Ali Enterprises’, which is located in Baldia Town, Karachi, used to export its garments to Europe and the United States, and had employed between 1,200 and 1,500 workers. Factory manufactured denim, knitted garments, and hosiery, and had capital of around $10-$50 million.
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