THATTA: Ten members of a family, among them women and children, were burnt alive in their sleep and six others sustained severe burns when a fire broke out in straw-made huts in Ibrahim Jat village on Khobar island in Keti Bunder taluka, 87 kilometres from here early on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the huts caught fire after strong winds caused to fall a lantern hanging on a peg over diesel and petrol drums. The fire spread within seconds and engulfed many adjoining huts because of the fuel drums the fishermen had to keep in store for their vessels, they said.

The deceased who were all members of the same family were identified as Salam, Saleem, Wazeer, Nabbu, Shakeel, Ghulam, Wakeelan, Samina, Zadi and Hameed Jat.

The injured, Alam, Noor Bano, Hussain, his wife and two others, whose names could not be ascertained, were rushed to Karachi. Their condition was stated to be critical.

The village being located on an isolated small island could not get immediate help from outside, leaving villagers on their own to put out the huge fire and carry out rescue operation.

Thatta deputy commissioner Nadeemur Rehman Memon and SSP Fida Hussain Mastoi arrived in the village in the morning but no other political leader reached there to console or help the families of the victims.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2016