Seven labourers die in Lahore wall collapse

MULTAN: A windstorm played havoc in Multan and other parts of the Punjab, claiming 13 lives, including that of an eight-year-old girl.

Two people died as lightning struck Dera Ismail Khan while two people have died in Multan when a windstorm hit the city and many hoardings and ‘Purdah’ walls fell on the ground while a number of people were injured.

An eight-year-old girl died in the Ibne-Maryam Colony in Faisalabad when the roof of a house caved in. Three passers-by were killed in Rajanpur. Furthermore, the power system was also affected by the widespread downpour.

At least, 232 feeders tripped in numerous areas of Lahore among which 148 have been restored whereas 83 are still unrepaired. On the other hand, mango orchards were badly hit and owners suffered a huge loss of millions of rupees. -Agencies

Our Lahore correspondent adds: Seven labourers died and two others were injured when the wall of an under construction godown near the Quaid-i-Azam Interchange collapsed due to heavy rain in the provincial metropolis on Tuesday.

The rescue sources revealed that the labourers were sleeping in their tent when the wall of the godown collapsed, killing seven of them on the spot. On being informed, the locals and rescue teams arrived at the scene and pulled the injured persons out of the rubble with the help of machinery and manpower.

The injured persons were taken to a hospital, where seven of them were pronounced dead. The deceased were identified as Irfan, Maqbool, Usman, Arshad, Zulfiqar, Nadeem and Nadir. Their bodies have been sent to their respective hometowns. The incident occurred due to heavy rain, strong winds and a huge quantity of sand piled up against the wall of the under construction godown. The Manawan police said tents were set up to accommodate the labourers working on the Orange Line Train project, in an open field at Wara Gujran area of Lahore. The Manawan police have registered a case against the owner of the godown Malik Shafqat on the complaint of enforcement inspector of TMO Wagah Town.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed sorrow over the death of labourers. The CM expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. He ordered investigation into the incident and sought a report from the administration.