"Most of the deceased are women"... Multiple crush accidents occurring in Pakistan while trying to receive relief supplies

Many People Gather at Once, Disorder Ensues
12 People Crushed to Death in One Day in Southern Karachi

In Pakistan, which is facing an economic collapse crisis, numerous incidents of people being crushed have occurred as crowds gather to receive relief supplies.

According to local media such as Dawn on the 1st (local time), 12 people were crushed to death as a large crowd gathered at a relief distribution center set up by a company in the industrial and trade district of southern Karachi the previous day.

At the time of the accident, it is reported that the tragedy occurred as 600 to 700 people crowded into the cramped distribution center in Karachi all at once.

A police official stated, "Most of the deceased were women who fainted from the heat and were crushed to death." Fatima Noor (22), who lost her sisters in the accident, told foreign media, "As soon as the main gate opened, everyone suddenly rushed inside."

This relief activity was conducted by the Pakistani government and companies in observance of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, but it was reported that there was no order maintained such as lining up at the site. Some people even fell into uncovered drainage ditches.

Unattended shoes placed in front of the relief distribution center in Karachi, Pakistan, where a stampede accident occurred [Image source=Yonhap News]

Asma Ahmed (30), who lost her grandmother and cousin at the scene, expressed her anger, saying, "There was chaos everywhere. Why did they ask people to come when there was no management?" She criticized the event organizers. In response, the police arrested three factory employees for negligence in management.

Earlier, at the end of last month, crush accidents also occurred at free flour distribution centers in various places. Eight people in the northwest region and three in the eastern Punjab region were crushed to death, resulting in a total of 11 deaths.

Currently, Pakistan has been burdened with external debt due to large-scale infrastructure investments such as China's Belt and Road Initiative. Subsequently, the economy has reached a state of collapse due to overlapping adverse factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, political instability, and massive floods. Inflation has surged over 20% for nine consecutive months since June last year, and power outages continue in many areas.

The Pakistani government has been negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resume the suspended bailout program and agreed to bailout support in 2019, but due to policy disagreements over restructuring, only about half of the total support amount of approximately $6.5 billion (about 8.48 trillion won) has been received.

The authorities have introduced stringent austerity measures, including significant increases in interest rates, taxes, and oil prices, while also borrowing emergency funds from allied countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).