Death toll due to suspected gas leak in the Keamari area of Karachi has risen to fourteen, Bol news reported on Tuesday.

The gas leak, reported first late Sunday night, caused panic as people rushed to hospitals, complaining of respiratory problems, police officials and doctors said.

Authorities said the real cause of the incident could not be ascertained.

Sources said the leakage occurred during the offloading of chemicals from a cargo ship anchored at Keamari Jetty.

The deceased included two women as well.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Zaidi said a team of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD) under Pakistan Navy was engaged in chemical analysis of the unidentified gas.

He said that around 100 patients have been treated so far, with two of them still at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.

“For the record, approx 100 patients have been treated and released since last night. Two are still in ICU. We continue to monitor the situation,” he said in a Twitter post.

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT), in initial findings, said the port authorities have stringent safety checks in place to monitor the handling of chemical material that is off-loaded from cargo ships in Kemari.

“The deaths and injuries from the gas leakage are from the northern area of Kemari, not near the port or its vicinity,” the KPT said.

“Attributing the gas leakage to offloading of chemical is not right. The port is doing all it can to help those affected by the gas leakage,” the KPT added.

Pakistan Navy has also sent a team to the affected area in this regard, the port authority told the media.