Manslaughter FIR lodged against factory owners in Keamari deaths case.

KARACHI -- As health authorities are still clueless about the exact cause of death of the 18 people who lost their life during two weeks apparently because of inhaling toxic gases emitted from some factories in a Keamari neighbourhood, police on Sunday registered a manslaughter and negligence case against owners of three such industrial units.

Moachko SHO Chaudhry Shahid told Dawn that an FIR had been lodged against three nominated factory owners on the complaint of one of the residents whose four family members died recently in Ali Mohammad Goth located on Suparco Road near Mowach Goth.

The case was registered under Sections 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 284 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the factory owners - Khair Mohammed alias Sher Mohammed, Shahid Husain and Saeed Khan.

Complainant Khadim Husain stated in the FIR that he lived in Ali Mohammad Goth along with his family. He said in residential areas, several factories involved in recycling goods in large quantities had been established.

As the factory owners did not take safety measures, hazardous smoke, a pungent smell and dust emissions from these factories had caused environmental degradation, whose accumulative effect on human life had proved horrible, he said, adding that because of this, four members of his family fell sick between Jan 12 and Jan 21 at different times and all of them died.

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The complainant identified the victims as his wife Razia, 32, two sons - Shoaib, 18, and Shahid, 4, and one-year-old daughter, Haleema.

The FIR states that besides the complainant's family, other...