News
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
6 girls burnt alive as hostel catches fire in Rawalpindi
* Initial probe suggests fire broke out because of short circuit
By Fazal Sher
RAWALPINDI: At least six female students were burnt alive and five people injured on Monday after a fire erupted at a girls’ hostel in Saddar area of Rawalpindi.
The fire broke out at around 4:05pm at the hostel, with around 40 students in the building which houses a total of 145, said Zeeshan, director of the National Foundation Girls Hostel.
Deba Shahbaz, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, confirmed that six students had been killed and five injured in the fire. She said rescuers had to evacuate several female students trapped inside the building.
Those killed have been identified as Farah, Sobia, Attiya, Iqra Naheed, Huma Rasheed and Naveeda Mazher. The injured – including a man – have been shifted to hospital, and their treatment is underway.
Witnesses said the fire broke out on the third floor of the building and quickly spread to rooms. “Thick clouds of smoke could be seen from a long distance,” said one of the witnesses.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire broke out because of a short circuit. However, Rawalpindi district administration officials have ordered a detailed inquiry and sealed the building.
Officials from Rescue 1122, CDA Fire Brigade, Civil Aviation Authority and GHQ Fire Brigade had extinguished the flames by 5:35pm.
Soon after the fire broke out, Rawalpindi police blocked all roads leading to the hostel, and senior police and district administration officials – including SSP (Operations) Yaseen Farooq, DCO Amdadullah Bosal, Rawalpindi Station Commander Brigadier Safullah Khan Niazi and SP Kamran Adil – arrived at the site to supervise rescue operations.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk