Eight people have been arrested in Pakistan in connection with the stampede that this Friday claimed the lives of twelve people, including three children, when a factory distributed food in the town of Karachi, the most populous city in the country.
In addition to the people arrested, the investigation points to the responsibility of the factory owner, Abdul Khaliq, two managers and seven other people.according to the Pakistani newspaper ‘The News’.
In addition, the ‘Dawn’ portal has updated the death toll from eleven to twelve, after one more person died while being treated for their injuries, as confirmed by the Karachi Police Deputy Inspector General.
More than 400 people gathered on Friday in the oldest and largest industrial area of ​​the city, where the FK Dyeing company was distributing food (Zakat al Fitr, or alms) to the families’ employees for the month of Ramadan.
The authorities have accused those responsible for the company of not having notified the Security Forces that the food delivery would take place.
According to preliminary investigations, the narrow street where the building is located soon collapsed due to the large number of people, and according to witnesses quoted by ‘Dawn’, some workers tried to clear the crowd of mostly women and children with blows, worsening the situation.
The collapse of the Pakistani rupee, which is at record lows, and the rise in the prices of fuels and basic products, driven by the war in Ukraine, have caused a serious economic crisis in Pakistan.