Four killed, four injured in boiler explosion

Police says the boiler exploded at a dye factory in Akbarabad where over three dozen workers were had just come in.

FAISALABAD:

Four people were killed and four others were injured when a boiler at a factory exploded early on Saturday.

Police said the boiler exploded at a dye factory in Akbarabad near Ghulam Muhammadabad police station where over three dozen workers were had just come in.

Muhammad Ismaeel, a factory worker, told newsmen that it exploded due to a high steam pressure. He said no boiler engineer was present at the time. After the explosion, panic ensued in the area and a number of people rushed to the factory. Rescue 1122 officials said Muhammad Tahir, Majeed Abbas, Muhammad Asif and Noor Ahmad died on the spot.Rescue teams took Muhammad Waheed, Muhammad Waqas, Kashif Rasheed and Muhammad Umar to Allied Hospital where doctors said Kashif’s condition was serious.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Noorul Amin Mengal and Assistant Commissioner Shahrukh Niazi visited the factory and sealed it. Talking to newsmen, Mengal said the managers at the factory had not installed emergency equipment at the factory. The DCO also visited Allied Hospital and inquired about the health of the injured workers. Ghulam Muhammadabad police registered a case against factory owner Gulraiz Yaqoob and his partners for not maintaining safety standards at the factory.  Bodies of the deceased have been sent to Allied Hospital for autopsy examination. Sub Inspector Muhammad Akram said Yaqoob had been arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest his partners. Yaqoob told police that the boiler had exploded accidentally.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2015.