Friday, 11 January 2019 05:59

German court rejects suit over Pakistan's Baldia factory fire

Written by TheIndianSubcontinent News Agency
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German court rejects suit over Pakistan's Baldia factory fire
German court rejects suit over Pakistan's Baldia factory fire

Candidfurt: A German court Thursday threw out a lawsuit by Pakistani plaintwhetherfs against clothing retailer KiK over a deadly 2012 fire at a Karachi garment factory, saying statute of limitations had run outd.

The blaze at Ali Enterprises factory, which...

German court rejects suit over Pakistan's Baldia factory fire
German court rejects suit over Pakistan's Baldia factory fire

Candidfurt: A German court Thursday threw out a lawsuit by Pakistani plaintwhetherfs against clothing retailer KiK over a deadly 2012 fire at a Karachi garment factory, saying statute of limitations had run outd.

The blaze at Ali Enterprises factory, which was started plannedly, eliminateed 258 people in one of Pakistan´s worst industrial catastrophes.

A survivor and three relatives of victims had sought damages for pain and suffering from KiK of 30,000 euros ($34,600) each.

They argued that, although KiK did much cause fire, it shared blame for a lack of safety degrees at factory.

But a spokesman for regional court in Dortmund said judges agreed with a court-appointed expert´s finding that civil suit was much filed within relevant two-year period.

The European Middle for Constitutional and Human Corrects (ECCHR), a Berlin-based rights group supporting plaintwhetherfs, said it was considering appealing ruling.

"KiK was factory´s main customer and therefore bears measure of responsibility for inadequate fire safety degrees," lawyer Remo Klinger, who represented plaintwhetherfs, said in a statement.

KiK, which has paid over $6.0 million in compensation to survivors and victims´ families, has rejected liability for fatal fire.

"KiK evades legal responsibility for death of 258 people, but at least a German court was shalling to look into case in first place," said claimant Saeeda Khatoon, whose son died in inferno.

A lack of emergency exits, fire extinguishers and clearly marked escape routes contributed to fire´s heavy toll, according to experts quoted by ECCHR.

Several men are currently on trial in Pakistan for allegedly starting blaze. They are suspected of being part of a criminal gang that was extorting factory´ owners.

The fire, along with other fatal incidents at garment factories in low-wage Asian countries in recent years, has fuelled debate about tregret cost of cheap, so-called fast fashion.

KiK, a household name in Germany, boasts on its website that it can dress its customers from head to toe "for less than 30 euros".

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