At least 11 people were killed and two others injured yesterday after gas cylinders exploded at a perfume factory in Shahdara neighborhood of Lahore, setting the entire building ablaze, officials confirmed.
The fire also caused the roof of the building to collapse, trapping other residents of the building beneath the debris as well as damaging the adjacent structure.
Residents of the area said the factory was considered to be a textile manufacturing unit.
“We only got to know about the presence of perfume and other chemicals after the fire broke out,” one of the residents said.
A rescue operation was mounted soon after the explosion to rescue the remaining people who are trapped under the debris of the building.
According to residents, at least 15 workers were inside the factory when the fire broke out.
Rescue services official Rana Izhar said in the afternoon that the fire had been brought under control, adding that the deaths were primarily caused by the roof collapse.
Rescuers search for victims in the debris of the collapsed factory in Lahore.
