Police hunt factory owner as authorities launch crackdown on illegal fireworks, LPG outlets
In a city where ticking bombs reign, thanks to LPG cylinders and free fireworks, an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory claimed the lives of seven people and injured several others on Saturday.
The deafening blast, heard miles away, razed the ground floor structure of the gothic Major Baqar in Unit 10 of Latifabad, in which the factory, believed to belong to Asad Khan, was operating. The death toll, initially estimated at three, rose to seven within hours. The spokesperson for Liaquat University Hospital confirmed having received four corpses, three of which were burned beyond recognition.
Among the injured were people who worked at the factory. Among them, Sheraz Sanaullah, 45, suffered 100% burns, Waqas Arshad, 30, 95% and Naeem Yousuf, 40, 90%. Three other patients, Anas Akram, 26, who suffered 40 per cent burns, Kashif Arshad, 30, 35 per cent, and Mushtaq Sadiq, 12 per cent, were shifted for treatment to the burn ward at LUH. An injured patient, Musarat Irshad, was discharged after treatment.
Dilbar Halepoto, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, informed that they received reports of an explosion around 4 p.m. The structure in question, surrounded by an agricultural field, was located near the Indus embankment.
Halepoto recalled that smoke billowed into the farthest corners of the locality and that the mushroom cloud in the sky could be seen from afar. Thousands of people, including police officers, rescue workers and government officials, reached the site for rescue and post-incident investigation operations.
Volunteers joined rescuers, equipped with tools and machines to cut through the rubble and remove debris, allowing victims to be evacuated.
A video shared by Rescue 1122 showed a dead body trapped under debris, with the man’s broken legs the only visible limbs. This body, after being dug up, bore traces of a living roast. Both arms of the deceased seemed stiff and raised upwards, as if the last struggle of his life had been to prevent himself from being crushed under the debris. His identity remained unknown.
Police responded following the explosion, raiding the homeowner’s home and stores, recovering explosives from the residence. A police official, who requested anonymity, told The Express PK Press Club that Khan had probably fled the city, as evidenced by the latest location of his mobile phone.
“Khan is on the run,” said Hyderabad SSP Adeel Chandio. He added that the factory was “illegal and secretly installed near the river embankment.”
The SSP said the police would wait for the families of the deceased before filing a complaint with the state. He said police had launched an investigation to determine how Khan obtained a license in 2020, but did not reveal why police took no action against a facility operating with an expired license.
Secure the license
On November 12, 2019, Khan acquired an agricultural land measuring 60 x 73 square meters, on lease, in Major Baqar Goth, from Muhammad Jameel. The land was acquired with Khan to pay a monthly rent of Rs2,000.
Three days later, he submitted an application to the DC Hyderabad for issuance of a license for the manufacture, sale and purchase of “small floral and colorful items”. The DC office wrote to the SSP office to provide the character report of the applicant. “…there is nothing against him in the case,” reads the SSP’s response dated December 9, 2019. “He is a peaceful and law-abiding citizen.”
On March 13, 2020, the Sindh Ministry of Interior issued a no-objection certification for Khan’s company, M/S Pakistan Fireworks, whose address is located at Plot Number 131, Al-Rahim Town, Latifabad. The NOC was issued under the Explosives Gazette, 2010.
Six days later, Khan finally obtained a license, for a period of one year, from the DC Hyderabad office to “manufacture, possess and sell fireworks”.
However, the license was not issued for the address where the factory actually operated. Instead, the licensing letter highlighted, in bold, the address of the facility, plot number 131, Al-Rahim town.
SSP Hyderabad also confirmed the fact that the factory did not exist at the approved address. The letter also limited possession of 25 pounds of explosives.
On May 30, 2024, an explosion occurred at a shop selling LPG, killing 27 people including 20 children in Pareetabad area.
A similar explosion occurred again in Hyderabad on April 29 this year, when a fire gutted a huge scrapyard, a parking lot, a cottage industry and a cattle pen, causing several LPG cylinders to explode. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Despite these incidents, LPG refueling shops as well as those selling fireworks continue to operate with impunity in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abideen has issued a notification ordering action against illegal fireworks warehouses. It also formed committees to identify and close LPG warehouses, factories and filling points operating in violation of the law.
The DC asked officials to submit weekly reports and hold progress meetings, while citizens were asked to report suspicious activities or illegal businesses to 022-9200244, as per the notification.
