As many as nine villagers including eight children and one woman died in Faiz Mohammed Village near Mahar Town of Dadu District where a blazing fire broke out on Monday evening, turning everything into ashes.
As per the reports, the fire erupted in the kitchen of a small hut and eventually engulfed around 50 or more houses in the village along with livestock and crops. The village is located some 30 kilometers from Mehar town of Dadu district.
The following injuries and loss of property have been recorded according to the locals and officials:
- More than 160 livestock had burnt to death
- Some crops were damaged
- Twenty men and women suffered severe burns
The dead bodies and injured were then shifted to the hospital by the police medico-legal formalities, where the deceased were identified.
According to the villagers, the fire broke out at 11:30 pm on Monday and lasted until 9:00 am on Tuesday.
Villagers still waiting for help
However, no help reached the village till Tuesday evening, told a local resident of Mahar Town named Shafqat Hussain.
A villager informed that an acute shortage of water was the main reason that locals were unable to extinguish the fire on a self-help basis.
Later, the villagers held a protest against the local administration, urging the Sindh chief minister to take notice of its unconcerned attitude as the DC Dadu and other officials arrived after 12 hours, they reported.
The elders of the villages demanded the authorities to completely rehabilitate all the damaged houses and pay the compensation immediately.
CM expresses deep sorrow
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of innocent villagers while directing the district administration for speeding up the rescue operation and provide medical facilities to the injured.
He further asked the administration to shift the victims to the safest place and directed the police to assist the district administration during the rescue operation.