Photo Gallery German Discount Retailer Linked to Catastrophe

German discount textile retailer Kik plans to pay damages totalling $500,000 to the families of more then 250 workers who died in a fire at a textile factory in Pakistan that produced clothing for the company. The families say that is too little and are threatening to sue.
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This factory, Ali Enterprises, in the Pakistani port city of Karachi was destroyed by a fire in the middle of September. Kik executive Michael Arretz admitted that the German company was responsible for 75 percent of the factory's orders.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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The fire claimed the lives of at least 259 workers. Some workers are still missing, and 29 corpses haven't been identified. Representatives of the workers say that the death toll was closer to 300.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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To this day, the cause of the fire remains unknown. The death count would have been lower, some argue, if it weren't for blocked, poorly lit exit routes. Workers said there were bars over the windows and locked steel doors around the premises.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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This photo shows the factory's washroom. Electrical systems in the plant were not up to safety standards, according to a safety report made available long before the fire.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Imram Javed, a dayworker, with his niece. The young girl lost both of her parents in the fire. Since then the family has waited in vain for compensation. "We haven't even been given the remains that we could bury," Javed said.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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The factory produced jeans, which were sold for €15.99 in Kik under the brand "Okay."

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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This photograph shows another Pakistani textile facory, where clothing is produced for brands like H&M, Mango, Zara und C&A. The textile industry accounts for more than half of the country's exports and employs 38 percent of the Pakistani workforce.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Employees were paid for each pair of jeans that they prepared. They worked on an assembly line, with each worker completing the same task for as many as 14 hours per day. One woman explains that she sewed back pockets onto pants day in and day out. A man says that he was responsible for belt loops.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Many factory workers, such as this man, work in dangerous environments. In the country's textile industry, there are few labor and safety standards to speak of.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Most retail companies have representatives in the plants. In the wake of the catastrophe in Karachi, it seems like Kik didn't have anybody on hand to supervise the production process and factory conditions.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Representatives from the retailers can make sure that international regulations are observed and maintain quality control of the goods.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Sand-blasting the jeans in order to make them appear worn-in is detrimental to workers' health. And not every factory maintains safety standards seen here, including making sure that workers wear safety masks.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim
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Pakistanis survey the remains of the burned-out factory. Police have arrested one of the owners of the factory on murder charges.

Foto: RIZWAN TABASSUM/ AFP
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Weeks after the catastrophe in Karachi, a dried-out wreath sits outside the factory.

Foto: Hasnain Kazim