Factory owner, worker killed in Lahore boiler blast

LAHORE: The owner of a factory was among two killed while six others received injuries when a boiler exploded with a big bang due to which the roof of the factory collapsed in the Township police limits on Monday.
Edhi ambulances, locals and police shifted the victims to a hospital for treatment while the Rescue 1122 responded late to the incident. The deceased owner of the clothes pressing factory was identified as Kashif, 35, and his worker as Raju. The persons known to be injured included Ahmad, Humayun and Shahid.
Eyewitnesses and rescuers told the media that Kashif had been running the factory of clothes pressing at his home near Girja Chowk, Township, for the last six years.
On the day of the incident, Kashif and his workers were busy in their work when the boiler exploded with a big bang due to excessive gas. As a result, the roof of the factory caved in and the workers were trapped under the debris. The blast was so powerful that the body parts of the victims wert flying.
The window panes of the nearby houses were also shattered. Locals and Edhi officials recovered the victims from the debris and shifted them to the Jinnah Hospital where doctors pronounced Kashif and Raju dead. The condition of the two injured was stated to be critical.
The incident also created panic in the locality and a large number of people gathered on the spot. Locals told the media that they had informed the district government many times about the illegal factory in a residential area but the government did not pay any heed. Locals demanded stern action against the responsible officials of the district government.