Several injured; Six homes destroyed, 11 damaged; CM Maryam extends condolences to bereaved families; Police arrest owner
At least 19 people were killed and several others injured on Friday as a result of a gas explosion at a factory near Faisalabad’s Malikpur area, with the owner arrested later in the day as well.
The explosion occurred at Dyes Chemical Glue Factory, located in Naimat Colony, Faisalabad.
An initial statement by Rescue 1122 said the incident took place early in the morning after the boiler of the factory exploded, causing the collapse of the building and nearby structures.
However, the rescue service later attributed the explosion to a gas leak, which was also confirmed in the statement issued by Faisalabad Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar’s office.
The first information report of the incident was registered on the state’s behalf by the police and mentioned 20 dead, with 19 named victims, and seven injured.
City police spokesperson Muhammad Tariq confirmed to Dawn that the Mansoorabad police had arrested the factory owner.
The statement by the commissioner’s office said no boiler was present in the factory, adding that four factories were operating in the Malikpur area. “A fire erupted in one of the factories due to gas leakage and engulfed the other factories as well.”
The blast was so powerful that it caused the roofs of six surrounding houses to cave in, rescue officials reported. Eleven other houses have also been damaged. A family of four, including a husband, wife and their two children, died when the roof of their home adjacent to the factory caved in, burying them under the rubble. The dead include six children, two women, two elderly citizens and factory workers. The statement by the commissioner’s office said that 17 bodies were pulled out from the rubble.
It said the injured were taken to Allied Hospital, and three were discharged after first aid while three were admitted to the burn unit.
It added that a five-member inquiry team was being constituted to probe the incident.
The statement said that the rescue operation at the site had been completed and the clearance process was under way. The situation was being monitored, it added, further quoting Commissioner Raja saying that “we share the grief of the heirs of those killed in this unfortunate accident”.
An earlier statement by Rescue 1122 detailed the rescue operation at the glue factory, saying that it was carried out under the supervision of the district emergency officer, and more than 20 ambulances and fire tenders took part in it. It also said that the Faisalabad Control Room had received a call about the explosion at the glue factory at 5:28am. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident, a statement issued by her office said. It said she extended condolences to the bereaved families and sought a report on the incident from the Faisalabad commissioner.
