Six employees of the Sindh Agriculture Department had died in different areas of the province after exposure to an anti-locust pesticide, Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu said on Tuesday. Rahu said the employees had fainted while the pesticide was being sprayed, after which they were taken to hospitals.He said four of them were also diagnosed with the novel Coronavirus at hospitals, while two had suffered cardiac arrests, according to medical reports. Rahu said in a summary presented to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, he had requested that the deceased be declared “martyrs” and also urged the chief minister to provide jobs to their family members. He said he had also requested the government to issue bonuses for those participating in the anti-locust spray campaign. The campaign against locusts was started by the Sindh government last year in order to protect crops from attacks.
