Staff Reporter A six-member team has been constituted to investigate into the Keamari poisonous gas leakage mystery that had resulted in the death of 14 people, police told the media on Monday. The team will be headed by SSP City Muqaddas Haider, and will identify those responsible for the cause of spread of the toxic gas in the region. Last week, Karachi’s commissioner forwarded a report to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in the same case. In the report, the commissioner stated that the particles of soybean dust were found in the blood samples of the victims. He suggested to stop offloading of the soybean at the Karachi Port. The commissioner assured the CM that the situation was under control as steps were taken to handle the matter. The Shipping Agents Association had strongly denied reports of dangerous gas emissions from soybean and said that soybean was not related to chemicals as “it is an agricultural product.” Soybean is being handled at the port without any damage for years and no one from the workers on the ship got affected by it, the association stated. On the other hand, Sindh government issued an advisory according to which, the soybean dust caused itching in the mouth, eczema, throat inflammation and choked breathing. Earlier, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) had revealed that “exposure to soybean dust” is causing severe respiratory problems for the locals of Keamari, an area of Karachi. The report suggested to give bronchodilators and antihistamines to the patients admitted in the hospitals. It also recommended the local authorities to take extreme care during unloading of soybean containers from now on.
