Three teenage workers die as boiler explodes in Lahore milk factory

Victims’ families accuse the factory management of poor safety mechanism

LAHORE: At least three teenage workers were killed and two others sustained burn injuries when a boiler of a factory exploded in Lahore's Shah Pur Kanjran neighbourhood on Saturday.

The tragic incident happened early in the morning as the workers were busy in boiling milk in the production unit of ‘Cakes and Bakes’ factory. A cylinder of some 40kg was being used in the factory as a boiler that exploded with a huge blast, also making the roof cave in.

Workers were left trapped under the debris before they were evacuated by rescue personnel. They removed the rubble and shifted the deceased and injured persons to a nearby hospital.



Three deceased labourers were identified as Khizar, Waqar Hussain and Safdar. The wounded were identified as Haji Mehmoodul Hassan and Faisal.

The incident site presented a horrible sight as the relatives of the victims and workers of the factory had gathered outside factory and raised hue and cry. The families accused the factory management of poor safety measures.



A police official seeking anonymity told The Express Tribune that the working environment in the factory was pathetic and management had not ensured safety measures. The production unit where the incident occurred was set up as a make-shift arrangement, he added.

The construction was built and might have been used as a corridor in the past. The cylinder was 40kg but had no proper stand to keep it fixed, the official said, adding that hundreds of similar cylinders were piled up under the open sky of courtyard of the factory.