Staff Reporter As a ship carrying soya bean moved to Port Qasim in Malir district from the Karachi Port Trust, a committee investigating the alleged toxic gas leak incident in Keamari has warned the district administration concerned to stay vigilant and take all necessary measures in case of any eventuality. The fresh move came after the Sindh government’s chemical examination laboratory did not find any chemical or traces of gases in the blood or lungs of the victims, prompting the investigation committee to believe an earlier “soya bean dust (aeroallergens)” theory of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) of the University of Karachi. The local administration had already ordered the removal of the ship, Hercules, carrying the soya bean cargo. It is now anchored at Port Qasim. “We will definitely share the conclusive report once we reach and finalise all findings,” Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani said. “But the bottom line is the situation turned normal as soon as activity on that soya bean ship halted and the ship left the port. There is no smell and no further incident reported. But we are still doing our job and will soon reach a conclusion.” When asked about the status of the ship carrying soya bean despite its removal from one port to another, he said precautionary measures had already been ordered. “The Karachi port we all know is close to some densely populated neighbourhoods,” the commissioner said. “We have issued messages and alerts to the district administration concerned [Malir] to be vigilant and take all necessary measures to meet any challenge. The situation, however, is under control right now.”
