KARACHI, Oct 7: An eight-year-old and a teenaged boy, who were among the people who received burn injuries when a truck loaded with firecrackers caught fire on Saturday night, died from their wounds on Sunday.
About 25 people were injured when a moving truck carrying firecrackers caught fire after a live cracker fired by jubilant political workers fell on it in a Korangi area.
Eight-year-old Nauman and Sabir, 14, died in the Burns Centre of the Civil Hospital. Hospital sources said the lives of several of the injured were in danger as they had received serious burns. They said some 13 injured of the 25 victims, including four children, admitted to the CHK received burns of serious nature with scant chances of survival.
The source said the fire erupted when workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were escorting the truck (JE-1981) for celebrations, after the unofficial victory of Gen President Musharraf in the presidential election, in Korangi 4 and firing crackers while moving with the vehicle having loads of crackers.
“Most of the victims we received had suffered injuries on the upper parts of the body,” said an official at the Civil Hospital.
“The scalps of some of the victims have been burnt almost completely, making their condition critical. But the centre has all facilities to handle such cases and we are doing our best for their survival.”
The deceased, who was part of the MQM celebratory convoy heading towards the Seaview beach for celebrations with the truck loaded with firecrackers when the incident occurred, was a resident of Korangi.
Police have not registered any case against persons responsible for the incident. An official at the Korangi police station said none of the victims’ family members had approached them to register cases, nor the area police had taken initiative in lodging an FIR.
