Short circuit followed by fire took lives of eight members of a family in an apartment located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in the wee hours on Friday. Eight members of a family were burnt alive when a fire broke out due to short circuit on the fourth floor of 5-Star Apartments, located near Moti Mahal, Rashid Minhas Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, at about 4.45 am. The fire engulfed the entire flat in no time. The deceased were identified as Bashir Alam, his wife Sarwari Begum, Mohammad Ahmed, Farhan, Aftab Alam, his wife Rashida Bibi, their son Hamza and their daughter.
The City Fire Service officials said they received late information of the incident and the ongoing construction and road repairs in the vicinity caused further delay in reaching the site. The bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
Later, all eight family members were laid to rest in a North Karachi graveyard.
The provincial ministers and advisers to the chief minister, Syed Mustafa Kamal, Qamar Mansoor, Salahuddin Haider, Wasim Akhtar, Faisal Gabool and Kanwar Khalid Younus, members of the Rabita Committee of Muttahida Qaumi Movement and a large number of people attended the Namaz-e-Janaza.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of eight members of a family.
Meanwhile, a senior city fire officer has asked the residents of the apartments to install smoke detectors in their residential buildings as part of prevention against fire incidents.
The official said that smoke detectors should not only be placed in the residential buildings, but also at the offices.
The official said the people could contact the fire department on its emergency call number 16 or fire headquarters office on 9215007 and 9215008.