Chairman of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry Gulzar Firoz has made a statement saying that a number of workers employed in the Korangi industrial estates, including those from tanneries, have returned to their family homes to mourn or help their families following the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country on October 8.

Mr Firoz said that in the Korangi industrial area, an estimated 25% of the total workforce - that comes from the areas that were devastated by the earthquake - have left the city. "Of the 90% of tannery workers coming from the Punjab, Mansehra, Hazara, etc., 50% have returned to their respective homes. Even watchmen and drivers from Mansehra, Hazara and Muzaffarbad have gone back," he said.

He said that production has been affected at the tanneries due to the departure of workers and facilities that usually run two shifts a day are now running one-and-a-half shifts. Those who have not left the area are now working extra hours to try to compensate for this at Korangi estate, which spans over 8,500 acres, and employs some 100,000 people largely in leather and textiles.

Unofficial reports place the death toll from the earthquake at more than 40,000 people and it is believed that more than 2.5 million people are homeless.