A pair of fires in Lahore and Karachi claimed more than 300 lives on Tuesday, The New York Times reports. Both fires occurred at larges factories — a shoe factory in Lahore, and a garment factory in Karachi — and have highlighted concerns over lax safety measures in Pakistan’s urban infrastructure, the paper wrote.
There are no signs of arson reported, and officials said the Lahore blaze, which claimed approximately 25 lives, was caused by a generator that caught fire and ignited nearby chemicals. Meanwhile, the situation in Karachi, according to the city’s commissioner, is still unfurling.
“The death toll is expected to rise,” said Roshan Ali Sheikh told the NYT. “The building has developed cracks and can collapse any time.”
