KARACHI: A child died while his six family members fainted after inhaling fumes of insecticide sprayed at their Defence Housing Authority home on Thursday, said police.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that Dr Zia-ud-Din Sheikh had his house, located near Khayaban-i-Seher, Phase-VI, sprayed with insecticide on Wednesday.

On Thursday at 11pm, all seven family members fell unconscious.

They were taken to South City Hospital in Clifton where one of them, identified as five-year-old Moin-ud-Din, was pronounced dead on arrival.

The South police chief said that Dr Zia-ud-Din Sheikh, his wife, their children — Shah Zain, 11; Zahra, 16; Zohair, 13 and Jannat, eight — had been admitted for treatment.

“Dr Zia-ud-Din Sheikh is the owner of Sir Syed Hospital in Qayyumabad,” said the DIG.

Darakshan police SHO Shahid Khan said the affected family, subsequently, was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital for further treatment. He said their condition was now stated to be “stable”.

The officer added that the family told the police that they had got fumigation carried out at their home and it was an accident, and therefore, they did not want any legal proceedings.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

THE plan to deepen the domestic local currency bond market by allowing the public to trade government securities...
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...