Building safety: Explosion at fireworks factory kills two children

OKARA: Two children were killed and three others were injured in an explosion at a house on Monday.

Police said Sattar Sheikh had set up a fireworks factory at his house in Haveli Lakha. The factory had been operational in the house for some 20 years. They said the explosion occurred in a room where gunpowder had been stored. The entire building collapsed in the explosion.

Sheikh’s daughters, Rabia and Fauzia, died on the spot. His wife and two others were injured. They were taken to a hospital where doctors said their condition was critical. Locals said the explosion was so powerful, they thought a bomb had gone off.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2015.