LAHORE: A woman was killed while three other members of her family injured when the roof of their house collapsed in Baghbanpura on Saturday.

Police said Asif of Mahmood Booti, his wife Irshad Bibi and their three children, including Zeeshan and Nauman, were in their house when an iron wheel after being disjointed from a machine in a nearby steel mills fell on its roof. The heavy wheel damaged the roof, resulting in its collapse.

The family members got trapped under the roof debris and suffered critical injuries. The neighbours rushed to the spot, pulled out the injured and took them to the Mayo Hospital where doctors pronounced the woman dead.

Police shifted the body to the morgue and registered a case under Section 322 of the Pakistan Panel Code against the mill owner.

Later, the locals and relatives of the family blocked Ring Road in protest against the incident for more than a couple of hours. They chanted slogans against the district administration and police for not taking any action against the factories being operated in residential areas.

Meanwhile, police and district administration officials reached the spot and assured the protesters that action would be taken against the factory owner. After this assurance, the protesters dispersed.

Later, the district administration officials sealed the mill.

Police investigating officer Sub-Inspector Zahid said the factory owner and workers fled the scene after the incident and raids were being conducted to arrest them.

He said the police had asked the district administration to seal the factories being run in the limits of residential colonies.

Talking to newsmen, Asif said they had lodged complaints with the district administration many a time about factories in a residential area, but to no avail. He demanded the prime minister and the chief minister take notice of the incident and order shifting of the factories from residential areas.

He also demanded that a murder case should be registered against the mill owner.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2016