Faislabad commissioner says boiler exploded due to suspected gas leakage, causing extensive damage to buildings
FAISALABAD: The death toll from the massive boiler explosion in Faisalabad has risen to 15, as rescuers recovered more bodies from the rubble, Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar said on Friday.
At least seven others injured in the blast are receiving treatment at local hospitals.
The explosion occurred early Friday morning at a glue-manufacturing factory in Faisalabad’s Malikpur area, collapsing the building and causing extensive damage to nearby structures.
The Faislabad commissioner said that the boiler exploded due to suspected gas leakage, as per initial report. He said that the lives lost in the blast were mostly the residents of houses present around the factory.
Anwar further stated that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was personally monitoring the rescue operation.
Initially, three casualties with multiple injured were reported in the deadly explosion. However, the death toll gradually swelled to 10 and later to 15 after more bodies were pulled out from the debris, while some of the severely injured succumbed to their wounds.
A rescue department spokesperson said that the boiler blast in the factory caused the structure to collapse and triggered a fire.
The spox further added that the debris-removal work was underway at the site of explosion and more people are feared to be trapped under the rubble.
The blast took place inside the factory’s chemical warehouse, and the blast caused a major part of the factory, including its roof, to collapse.
Behind the premises of the factory, around seven to eight adjoining houses also suffered roof and structural damages, leaving residents as well as factory workers trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams were engaged in search and relief operations, with more debris being removed amid concerns that the casualty toll could rise.
Meanwhile, civil defence personnel have been called in to assist, and officials said the Faisalabad deputy commissioner is supervising the ongoing rescue and relief efforts at the site.
