Poisonous gas claims three lives

Published April 29, 2006

KASUR, April 28: Three people, including a foreman, lost their lives while five others fell unconscious due to poisonous gas at a water treatment plant while removing a technical fault here on Friday.

Reports said that a tank of the water treatment plant became out of order. To remove the fault, worker Shaukat Masih climbed down the 15 feet deep tank where he became unconscious due to poisonous gas. Foreman Haji Arif also went down and fainted there as well. As they did not turn up, workers including Naveed, Idrees and Hafiz Ashfaq, also climbed down to know about the fate of their colleagues, but they also fell unconscious.

Meanwhile, the plant administration reached the spot and rushed them to the local DHQ Hospital where foreman Haji Arif, and Shaukat Masih died. Naveed was shifted to the General Hospital, Lahore, where he also perished. While the condition of five others were stated to be serious at the DHQ hospital.

Police have registered a case against admn officer Arshad Hashmi, project manager Suleman Akhtar and mechanical engineer Raees Ahmed.