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Ship with soybean cargo to be towed out of port

The 'Hercules' with its cargo of soybean was to be towed to Port Qasim from Karachi Port in the night of Feb 19, 2020, according to the Karachi Port Trust Authority. It will be taken out of the port at the required level of water at the channel. The decision was made over apprehensions in the wake of recent deaths and health issues in population adjacent to the port. Earlier, it was decided to remove the ship from Berth number 10 of the port to the outer anchorage by 11:00 a.m. Dr Iqbal Chaudhry, the Director of International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi had advised the government to consider the exposure to soybean dust (aeroallergens) as a cause of breathing difficulties being faced by residents of Karachi’s Keamari area. So far, 14 people from different parts of Keamari have died and over 400 have been taken to hospitals for treatment reportedly after inhaling toxic gas. Residents complained of symptoms of breathing difficulties, burning sensation in the nose, watery eyes and itching in the throat. While the ICCBS was still engaged in deciphering the cause of the toxic exposure, the findings so far suggested that the symptoms being experienced by Keamari residents were a result of overexposure to soybean dust.