KARACHI: At least four people were reported dead and dozens fell unconscious as a result of a “mysterious gas leak” in West Wharf in the Kemari port area.
According to initial reports, the gas has affected at least 50 people in the locality, while trailer contractors have advised the drivers to stay away from PICT, SAPT and West Wharf.
An area resident said it could be a gas/chemical attack, or maybe some kind of a test, which went out of hands.
An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that at least two persons died of suffocation and around 20-25 had fallen unconscious. They had been shifted to a nearby private hospital in Clifton area.
All patients have been restricted to one ward in the hospital due to concerns that the condition might be a virus.
It was being claimed that the gas leaked in a ship that was anchored at the Karachi port. However, both the police and the spokesperson of the Karachi Port Trust denied the claim.
The spokesperson of the Karachi Port Trust in a statement has claimed that reports pertaining to the gas being released by a recent ship that anchored down at the port were untrue.
He also revealed that those affected by the gas were picked up from the road after their health deteriorated. He maintained that there was no report thus far of such a gaseous presence at the port.