Pakistan: Faisalabad glue factory explosion leaves 20 dead

Faisalabad [Pakistan], November 22 : At least 20 people, including seven members of a single family, were killed and seven others injured after a massive steamer explosion, apparently caused by a gas leak, ripped through a glue factory in Faisalabad on Friday morning, according to Dawn. The blast at the Crystal Chemical Factory also flattened four nearby industrial units and nine houses in the Malikpur area.
Rescue teams and police shifted the deceased and the injured, including three in critical condition, to the burn unit of Allied Hospital. Officials told Dawn that the victims ranged in age from one year to 62 years.
A crime scene team and forensic experts examined the site, while the factory owner, Qaiser Chughtai, and administrative staff allegedly went into hiding for several hours.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the fatalities, extended condolences to the affected families and sought a detailed report from Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar. The commissioner later constituted a five-member committee to determine responsibility for the deadly incident.
Labour bodies also criticised the authorities. National Trade Union Federation Secretary General Nasir Mansoor, Labour Qaumi Movement Chairman Baba Latif Ansari and Haqooq i Khalq Party Chief Farooq Tariq, in separate statements reported by Dawn, blamed official negligence for the heavy loss of life.
They said the government's failure to enforce safety measures had allowed factory owners to operate in conditions that endangered workers and residents.
Police later arrested the factory owner and registered a case under multiple sections of the Anti Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act. According to police, Qaiser Chughtai, manager Bilal Ali Imran and six others were named in the FIR.
Manager Bilal Ali Imran, cook Khalid and workers Zain and Atta Muhammad were also taken into custody.
The FIR stated that residents had repeatedly warned the management against storing hazardous flammable chemicals on the premises, but the warnings were ignored.
Dawn reported that the blast caused the roofs of four factories, including the glue unit, and nine homes in adjacent Shahab Town to collapse under the force of the explosion.
Police confirmed that 20 people died in the tragedy and seven others sustained injuries.
The victims included seven members of one family: Shafiq, 62, his wife Maqsooda, 55, their son Irfan, and grandchildren Muqaddas, 13, Rehan, 12, Muhammad Ahmed, 10, and Azan, 4.
Electrical engineer Ashiq Hussain and his three sons, Obaid, 24, Omar, 22, and Bilal, 20, were killed when their house collapsed.
Four members of another family, Fakhra, 40, her one-year-old son Ali Hasnain, and daughters Maham, 4, and Jannat, 3, also died under the debris.
Two brothers, Waqas, 25, and Saim, 23, working in a nearby embroidery factory, were among the victims. A factory worker, Fazal, also lost his life, according to Dawn.