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The toll in the Karachi garment factory fire has risen to 298. Several dozen workers are still missing or presumably dead in the basement. Rescue workers have not been able to enter Ali Enterprises as the fire has completely destroyed the building. The blaze, which started on Tuesday night, is being seen as one of the most deadly industrial incident in Pakistan 's history. According to The News, at least 17 women and seven children have also died in the incident. A fireman also died in the blaze, and is yet to be identified, the paper said. Officials said the structure could collapse any time. Around 2,000 workers were present inside the factory when the fire broke out. Charred bodies have been shifted to the Edhi Morgue, while the injured have been moved to three major hospitals - Civil Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Medico-legal officers said specimens from unidentified bodies have been sent for DNA tests to identify the victims. Police have claimed that the fire might have occurred due to some fault in the factory's standby electricity generator. Meanwhile, the factory's owner, Shahid Bela, is still at large and law enforcement agencies have no clue about his whereabouts. The Sindh Government has put him on the Exit Control List to prevent his escape abroad.

Karachi factory fire toll rises to 298