KARACHI: Four cricketers of the United Bank Limited (UBL) team, who are currently in Karachi for the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Super Eight tie against Habib Bank Limited (HBL), were injured when a massive fire ripped through Karachi’s Regent Plaza Hotel during early hours on Monday. According to local police and doctors, at least 11 people were killed and 75 others were injured. All-rounder Yassim Murtaza suffered ankle break as he jumped from the balcony to save his life, while leg-spinner Karamat Ali received injuries to his hand from a broken glass, team sources confirmed to media. UBL were playing Habib Bank Limited, and were set to resume their first innings on 20 for 0 on the third day, in response to Habib Bank’s 486. Having received a request to abandon the match from UBL manager Nadeem Khan, the PCB’s domestic committee agreed to do so, awarding both teams a point each.
UBL manager Nadeem confirmed that two players, right-arm fast-bowlers Adil Raza and Sadaf Mehdi were getting treatment for suffocation related problems at Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton. The team left the scene of the tragic incident in morning, and the players gathered at the house of teammate Shan Masood, where they had their breakfast.
According to Nadeem, the players woke up to fire and smoke at around 3.30am in the fourth floor of the building. According to reports the fire broke out in the kitchen, which is on the ground floor of the four-star hotel located on the city’s Shahrah-e-Faisal, and swept through the building. Cricketers were trapped between the second and fourth floors and were rescued from the hotel after three hours. “I got a call from a player for help,” Nadeem said. “When I rushed to the hotel, I saw them screaming for help in the windows. They were naturally suffocating after the smoke entered their rooms through the central air-conditioning system. They tried to make their way outside to escape, but couldn’t go beyond the second floor. Yassim, however, jumped from second to first floor and broke his heel bone, while Karamat suffered a hand injury. The rest of the boys are fine and didn’t suffer any life-threatening injury at all, but they were given oxygen as they were suffocating with the smoke.”
The affected cricketers, after a check-up, were temporarily residing at UBL captain Shan Masood’s house in Karachi. “All the players have been evacuated and moved to a safer location now,” Nadeem said. “They are shocked, however, and are not in state to carry on with the match. With two of our boys getting injured, all are in severe shock. Our team is mentally handicapped and can’t play the match any more.”
Pakistan middle-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood, who is a part of the UBL’s team, revealed the horrific experience he faced in the middle of the night. “We were on the fourth floor and were woken up around 3am,” said Maqsood. “We wanted to leave our room and tried to rush down, but the thick smoke made it impossible to breathe. We had to battle the smoke for three hours before we were eventually rescued around 6am.” Another Pakistan batsman Umar Amin, who is representing SSGC in the ongoing domestic tournament, said it was impossible to breath due to thick smoke. “I wrapped my head with a wet towel and tried to breathe, but it was almost impossible to get rid of the thick smoke,” said Amin. “I was on the eighth floor and got in touch with UBL players. We all endured an almighty struggle and came out safely.”