Karachi – the city of lights has come in headlines again as there has been a toxic gas leakage in the Railway Colony in the vicinity of Karachi. Health and environment authorities investigating the lethal gas leakage in Keamari on Monday suspected that Hydrogen Sulphide, a highly poisonous gas that is a byproduct of crude oil and also generates in sewerage system. However, all they know for sure at the moment is that the gas is not only unidentified, it is also odourless.
In total, 8 have been reported dead while dozens more, some sources claim around 40-50 people, have been affected by the toxic gas. Lots of people fled to private and public hospitals, complaining of tightness in chest and general difficulty in breathing.
“So far, our investigation is inconclusive but our teams are working on it and we have also sought professional assistance from a private firm to help in the investigation,” said Sindh Adviser on Environment Barrister Murtaza Wahab.
While there is an atmosphere of fear and panic in the entire Keamari area since Monday where people including children are seen wearing face masks,(which are ineffective against poisonous gasses), and some have even gone to the extent of moving their families away from the city areas surrounding the port in order to protect them from the deadly gas. There is added panic surrounding this situation with the spread of false information through Whatsapp messages and Facebook users.
No further information regarding the identity of the gas and its toxicity has been shared with the media so far.