Man dies after pest control fumigation in Karachi superstore

KARACHI: A man died and eight others became unconscious after getting exposed to toxic fumes at a shopping centre in Karachi’s area of North Nazimabad on Friday.

Twenty-four-year-old, Yahya, the sole bread earner of his family, was exposed to a heavy stench of pest control fumigation when he along with other staffers arrived at the workplace, by evening all of the employees started to feel unwell, informed a staffer. The deceased passed away on the way to a hospital.

"He [Yahya] was vomiting and not feeling well. He passed away on the way to the government hospital," informed a relative of deceased.  

Police arrested four people including the store manager on the complaint of deceased’s uncle.

The store manager denied taking responsibly of the incident by saying that they fumigated the building between Thursday and Friday, and all routine post-fumigation measures were taken before the arrival of store staffers.

"Despite telling him to have food outside, [Yahya] had his meal in the store's warehouse," the store manager claimed. 

The family of the deceased said that rather than taking the deceased for treatment, the store owners told Yahya to go home. 

Duty officer Haideri police station, Khalid Mughal, said that a case will be filed against the suspects after proper investigation.