Islamabad, Nov 21 (IANS) At least 15 people were killed and several others injured after a gas explosion at a factory near Malikpur area in Pakistan’s Faisalabad on Friday, the local media reported.
In a statement issued earlier, rescue authorities said that a building and nearby structures collapsed after the boiler of the factory exploded early Friday morning, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported. However, the rescue service later mentioned that the explosion was caused due to a gas leak, which was also mentioned in the statement released by Faisalabad Commissioner’s office.
According to the statement, no boiler was present in the factory and that four factories were operating in the Malikpur area. The statement stated, “A fire erupted in one of the factories due to gas leakage and engulfed the other factories as well.”
According to the statement, seven houses of the area were also impacted in the gas explosion. The roof of the factory and adjacent houses collapsed following the explosion.
The commissioner’s office said that 15 bodies were recovered from the rubble. As many as 10 injured people were rushed to the hospital for treatment and three were discharged after first aid, according to the statement. It further said that a five-member team was established to carry out investigation into the incident.
An earlier statement said that the rescue operation was carried out in a glue factory and over 20 ambulances and fire tenders were deployed. According to the statement, Faisalabad Control Room received the call about the explosion at the glue factory at 5:28 am (local time).
On November 10, three people were killed and seven others were injured after a gas explosion in a house in Harbancepura locality of Pakistan’s Punjab, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported. Rescue officials said that a large-scale emergency response, involving specialised urban search and rescue teams, was initiated, after an explosion occurred in a house in Nadir Market.
–IANS
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