PAKISTAN: AT LEAST 12 DEAD IN STAMPEDE AT RAMADAN FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Fri 31 March 2023:

In a stampede that occurred on Friday during the distribution of Zakat to the families of workers at a private company in Karachi’s Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) neighborhood, at least 12 people died.

In a statement, a spokesperson for police initially said that 11 people had died while five others had been injured. The spokesperson said the injured had been shifted to the hospital while further investigation was under way, adding that most of the victims were women between 40 to 50 years of age.

Residents said a wall also collapsed near the drain, injuring and killing people amid the stampede.

Local media reported that eight women and three children died.

The stampede is the deadliest at Ramadan food distribution points since the start of the Muslim holy month of fasting last week.

🇵🇰 : At least 11 people killed following stampede during food ration distribution in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate area of Karachi, #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/BbpH7xMqIv

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) March 31, 2023

Keamari Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Husain Janwari said that the FK Dyeing company, located in SITE area, had invited the families of its employees in order to distribute Zakat among them.

He said that “around 400 women” had arrived and fearing a large crowd, the company staff closed the doors. He said that inside the premises there were no arrangements in place for making a queue, adding that local police were also not informed about the activity.

SSP Janwari said that several women fainted from the heat and the stampede. He said police contingents rushed to the spot, detained some of the employees on charges of negligence and shifted the women to different hospitals. “Reportedly, the company’s owner was not present,” he said.

Large crowds of people have been gathering at distribution centres since the government launched an initiative last week to give free flour to low-income families during Ramadan to ease the impact of record-breaking inflation and soaring poverty.

The stampedes underscore people’s desperation in the face of soaring costs, exacerbated by Pakistan’s falling currency and a removal of subsidies agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock the latest tranche of its financial support packages.

The costs of basic goods have surged, with flour prices rising more than 45pc in the past year.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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