4 killed, 11 injured in factory blast

Labourers buried under collapsed building after boiler explosion

FAISALABAD: Four workers were killed and 11 were injured when a boiler exploded at a dyeing factory on Sargodha Road.

The boiler explosion in the early morning left 15 labourers buried in rubble at the MA Processing and Dyeing Factory. Shahbaz Afzal, a resident of Millat Chowk near Samana Bridge, was running the factory on contract.

Police and district administration officers rushed to the scene after the incident. Rescue teams shifted the injured to hospital where the condition of two labourers was reported to be critical.

As the boiler exploded, the factory building collapsed. Window and door glasses in nearby factories and offices were smashed by the explosion.

After six hours of continuous rescue work with heavy machines, officials removed the debris and rushed the injured labourers to hospital in a number of vehicles.

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During this period, a large number of citizens also gathered at the site and helped the affected people on their own.

Reportedly, the factory owner escaped from the scene. Nishatabad police took the bodies of four labourers into custody and handed them over to the relatives after post-mortem. However, no case has been filed by the relatives of the deceased labourers.

The district administration is reported to have decided to take action against the factory owner.

Liaqat Ali, 50, of Chak 2-JB, 30-year-old Irfan of Chak No 100 and Master Kashif, 30, of Ghulam Mohammad Abad died on the spot. The body of Abdul Razzaq, 38, a resident of Chak 118 Bhaatian, who was a boiler operator, was later recovered from the rubble.

The other employees who were injured while working in the factory included Younus,18, resident of Khanewal, Allah Ditta, 50, Akbar, 45, Arshad, 32, Tariq, 35, Sikandar, 55, Sajawal,55, Irfan, 37, Faizan, 18, and Sher Ali, 35.

Rescue 1122 workers provided first aid to the wounded labourers and shifted them to the hospital where Sher Ali and Sikandar Ali’s condition was reported as critical.

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Emergency District Officer Ihtesham Wahla and Emergency Officer Sultan Ahmed arrived at the scene with the staff of all the rescue centres of the city.

They took out all the injured and dead labourers out of the rubble after a struggle of six hours and shifted them to hospital.

Officials said Nishabat police had filed a report of death by accident as the families of the dead and injured workers had not sought legal action against the factory owner.

Nishatabad Police Station SHO Mian Abid said the boiler inspector of the district administration had been informed about further action in the case. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2020.